I use this answer a lot but the old soap and water will get rid of a lot bad guys ants included I would get a hose end sprayer ( the bottle that screws on to the end of your garden hose) mine has graduated marks so I use 22oz water 2oz dish soap ( Dawn) or what ever you have and soak the bed then follow up with a equal amount of watering concentrate on the nest if you can.

Well, first, I wonder if you really had fire ants or perhaps had some other type of biting ants. Fire ants are very obvious. They create significant mounds, not just little bumps. They are red ants and they really hurt for a long time and you probably wouldn't be thinking about getting on line but rather planning your doctor visits etc. They are very aggressive and standing or kneeling on them long enough to dig several holes would likely cover you in a hundred bites rather than just a couple which are plenty bad by themselves.

In any case, I think you would want to be very careful but poison the whole crew of ants. If you were fairly certain that you only had one nest, you could do almost any nasty thing to move them away. For example good ole boy approaches like pouring gas on them and light them up, or quickly digging deep with a shovel and heaving the dirt into the woods. These approaches just move the ants. The simpler, but unfortunately much longer method is to get a baiting powder and spread it around the general area , but not directly on the nests on a pleasant day with no impending rain. The ants will carry the poison back to their queen and the whole colony or colonies will die in a few weeks. 'One and done', but you will probably have to skip the gardening.

Ninja, if you live in fire ant territory, you will be able to find BAIT products that do a great job and still allow you to garden. Please ignore the silliness of the above post.

I want you to become a label reader. There are organic fire ant BAITS that you can use directly in your growing areas. But you can also use Amdro, which is not labeled for use near edibles, on the perimeters of the garden location and it will lure the ants. I'd use both.

I am emphasizing baits, because that is what works best on fire ants, which have very extensive nesting chambers. The word "BAIT " will be clearly written on the label. These products are granulated (not a powder) and need to be applied according to the directions on the label. You don't want to disturb the mounds before, during, or after the application or the ants will move.

Living among fire ants is easy....and requires no visits to the doctor! Being observant is essential, and keep some granulated meat tenderizer handy (plain Adolphs). Make a paste of the tenderizer to apply to new stings.

Please know that the hot summer isn't the best time to kill a fire ant colony. They forage more actively in the cooler temperatures. Just use common sense, avoid irresponsible treatments and know that you CAN garden as long as you avoid certain treatments.

Where are you located? This is not a time of year when tomatoes are typically planted.

I use straight ammonia on my fire ant bites. It takes the sting out and I don't pus up.

Ninjatigers,
although fire ants are annoying and painful, they are rarely dangerous, unless you're allergic to them, and they wont harm your plants. In fact, they may help keep certain other pests in check.
If you see a mound, pour a pot of boiling water on it (as long as it wont harm the roots of any plants nearby). that works for me pretty well to keep them in check around my garden. And wear shoes and socks, and watch where you step.

Assuming fire ants can be baited like many ants (and I believe y'all who live with them), I'd think a boric acid bait would be safe around the garden (underground, etc). It does a great job of killing ants, but you would want them to take it in a baited form to carry it where it's most needed. That won't be immediate kill, but with my ant problems it's usually within a week that they are all dead.

I got stung by a couple of Asian Needle Ants just this week, so I'm totally checking out y'all's suggestions here for what to put on ant stings. Ow!! Those suckers look completely harmless, but they are really painful! (They eat termites, though, so I'm not killing that little nest).

rhizo_1. I take issue with your dismissive attitude to my post since you seem to essentially agree with me. It appears that you are not listening to your own opinions. My best guess to your concern with my post being silly is its remark about needing medical care but then you go on about gardening with extreme care etc. It doesn't sound like you would suggest standing on a fire ant nest and digging a bunch of holes now would you?

I will admit that I was attempting to go strong on the pain etc. because (as no one seems to have noted) I was suggesting that the OP probably had other than fire ants. However, it appears that I was probably more correct than I expected. I am appending a partial link from Alergist on Normal Reaction to fire ants. Preceding this is a description of the more dangerous allergic responses.

What is a normal reaction to a fire ant sting, and how is it treated?

The severity of a fire ant sting reaction varies from person to person. One of the main differences between fire ants and other insects is that a usual sting event consists of multiple fire ants stinging. This is because when a fire ant mound is disturbed hundreds to thousands of fire ants respond. In addition, each ant can sting repeatedly. Each ant will bite and hold on with its mandibles (jaw) and sting several times. If not removed, this results in a little semi-circular pattern of stings. Since fire ants hold on with their mandibles, they often have to be pulled off individually and are not easily brushed off when they are stinging.

Almost all people stung by fire ants develop an itchy, localized hive or lump at the sting site, which usually subsides within 30 to 60 minutes. This is followed by a small blister within four hours. This usually appears to become filled with pus-like material by eight to 24 hours. However, what is seen is really dead tissue, and the blister has little chance of being infected unless it is opened. When healed, these lesions may leave scars.

A large local reaction can occur. This will result in swelling that extends beyond the sting site. For example, a sting on the forearm could result in the entire arm swelling. Although alarming in appearance, this condition is often treated the same as a normal reaction. An unusually painful or very large local reaction may need medical attention. Because this condition may persist for two to three days, antihistamines and corticosteroids are sometimes prescribed to lessen the discomfort.