Fire ants-Beware and take them seriously

hobie1dog · Jul 9, 2012

I never paid any attention to them until Saturday. I was at my son's new house and was inserting a rock wedge in front of his mailbox post to straighten it out, when a bunch of Fire Ants got on my ankles and legs, man they sure move quickly. They got me in about 6 or 7 places. 1/2 hour later I start breaking out in hives from head to toe, lost hearing in my left ear, coughing, and learning the meaning of how they became known as fire ants. My wife convinced me to go to the Urgent Care, and I'm glad I did. By that time I was having trouble breathing, so they gave me a shot of Benadryl and then a shot of Steroids. Luckily it kicked in and I got to avert a trip to the ER. That's the first time I've had an allergic relation to any bug bite.
A 1/2 gallon of gasoline was applied to their habitat which ruined their happy home, and did a great job of killing all the weeds there too. So remember this event the next time you get near them little bast ages. :evil:

topd · Jul 9, 2012

My youngest granddaughter had a bought with fire ants not long ago. She was setting on my swing on the porch of the fish camp that crawled up her legs... really got hold of her before she realized. They are really bad and take over if you aren't watching.... I'd hate to take one of my kids to the emergency room.

jndyer · Jul 9, 2012

Ah, I hate them little suckers. I grew up in Central Oregon but in 1996 I moved to North Florida to go to college. It only took about two days to find out that they are to be avoided. I use to take great pleasure in soaking a fire ant hill in gasoline and sending them to their death in a sizzling inferno of righteous judgment. Fortunately I am back in Central Oregon and do not have to deal with them anymore.

wnghanglow · Jul 9, 2012

Haha yea I have had my share of those little devils myself, although I have to say I am not allergic to them as you seem to be Hobie. Glad to hear your alive and wiser now though

pstlpkr · Jul 9, 2012

Hobie... hate to break it to ya Buddy...

Gasoline won't get rid of them.

It's an annual territorial dispute around here.

Amdro granuals is about the only thing that works.

The queen and the eggs are very deep.

You may kill the top half of the nest with gas.

Then round two will happen faster than you know.

You need a slow acting poison.

One that the workers will carry into the nest to feed the queen and the other workers.

jndyer · Jul 9, 2012

I never claimed gas would kill them all. I just said that it was fun. :lol:

jndyer · Jul 9, 2012

BTW, you have to be careful when you have fire and gas in a close proximity to each other. One of these days I will have to tell y'all about twenty worms, gas and two burnt up cars.

tbradsim1 · Jul 9, 2012

For a few bites, put toothpaste on it, will not puss up will dry, but if you are allergic to them, the emg room is the best thing the old cajun

bigmike · Jul 9, 2012

+1 Lawrence
They do live deep and always have more than one entrance/exit to their mounds.
Amdro works great as they think it is food and deliver it to the queen and the rest of the nest. After about a week or 10 days they just disappear.
Hobie, since you are obviously allergic to them, you might also be allergic to bee/wasp stings as well and might want to consider keeping Benadryl handy wherever you are. As for treating the little infectious bites, cleanse them with Hydrogen Peroxide 2 or 3 times a day. It will take a few days for them to stop itching and disappear.
H'mmmmm, wonder what would happen if you made a mixture of Penzance and Peroxide to apply to the stings...... :lol:
Take Care my Friend

lankfordjl · Jul 9, 2012

Hobie, I would suggest that you get a prescription for an Epipen from your doctor. Fireants are everywhere in the South (and have been moving North rapidly.) The Epipen can save your life if you can't get to the emergency room in time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EpiPen

jaysin · Jul 9, 2012

Glad your ok brother.

hobie1dog · Jul 9, 2012

I left the Urgent Care with an Epipen as the Doctor said that I could have an even worse reaction the next time. 8O
I just found out what Lawrence noted about how deep they are by talking to one of our salesmen that came through this morning. The bug guy is due to stop back by soon, so I'll have him treat the yard for them this time.

barkar · Jul 9, 2012

Glad your ok...also good you got a epipen

mrenglish · Jul 9, 2012

Insane! Who would have thought a bunch of little bugs could be so dangerous. Glad you are doing better.

tslex · Jul 9, 2012

Down here we mix the Amdro or Ortho pellets with instant grits.
The grits attract the ants and encourage them to carry the stuff back to the nest. (It's actually the larvae that consume the grits.) In our experience, a mix of grits and Amdro or similar woks in less time and with fewer applications that without the grits. I suppose they are just more efficient about carrying the stuff down?
(No, the grits don't make them explode -- although that would be nice -- it's not enough they should die, I'd like them to suffer. Sadly, adult fire ants don't actually eat solids, but are actually fed by the larvae they tend, as the larvae are able to chew the solids, which they breakdown and regurgitate. See? Nasty critters.)
We bought our home south of Miami on 1996. It was new construction and there were still other houses being built on the street. It was three years before we had more or less eradicated the fire ants. Vile little creatures.
Here's a hilarious radio spot that used to play down here. You want them to die!

hobie1dog · Jul 9, 2012

Killing Fire Ants...fun for all.

mluyckx · Jul 9, 2012

Glad you're ok.
I could share this funny story of this European dude moving to Texas and who had never heard of the critters until he took a road trip, pulled over, snapped some pictures. Got back in the car and careened nearly into the side of the road because his legs were crawling with them. Shoes, socks, car mats, it all came flying out of the car. :rofl: My wife still likes to tell the story. Glad I didn't have an allergic reaction to them.
Besides Amdro, which I have had mixed results with recently (I wonder if they are becoming resistant), I have had success with 1 tsp boric acid, 3 Tbsp sugar dissolved in 2 cups of hot water. Let cool, put in little containers like little salad dressing cups or similar out around the mound. It take a little while, but has proven quite effective.
Texas A&M has a good article on alternative and organic control mechanisms for fire-ants.
good luck getting rid of the vile critters !

pstlpkr · Jul 9, 2012

I've considered Bunker Busters but....

My property insurance would probably go up again. :?

bigmike · Jul 9, 2012

You should see how they survive a flood....They all group together in a cluster and ride the top of the water to where it is flowing. Along the way, they will attach themselves to whatever they can, including a human being, livestock, trees, or anything else they can.
I have seen them in clumps of at least 5 thousand or more........

crpntr1 · Jul 9, 2012

They're also the reason we no longer have quail in most of TX...I think there's still some up around the pan handle but nada here.

Fire ants-Beware and take them seriously

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