Fire ants-Beware and take them seriously

[baronsamedi]

The killed off all the Horned Lizards, too. The lizards' main food was ordinary red ants, and not only did fire ants kill the red ants, but the lizards, too. They're mean sunzabitches! They have been known to kill pets and even small children, so kill those suckers first!

Amdro granuals is about the only thing that works

+1

 

[reichenbach]

One of the things I think I remember from my trip to Costa Rica was that poison dart frogs diet of fire ants is what makes poison dart frogs poisonous. So not only do fire ants themselves suck, they also make other things dangerous.

 

[brian64]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDK3IT29uoQ

 

[portascat]

I am a Texas boy, and like the rest of the Texas boys can tell many stories, funny and tragic both, about fire ants.
Sometimes it is funny how folks get bit by them, or run into them, and the like.
And then are the stories of dog or livestock that are chained, roped or haltered to something that won't let them escape. Not an easy way to die for any animal.
A fire ant infestation is good for only one thing, and that is to drive every other ant out of existence in the vicinity. Once that happens, you kill them without prejudice.

 

[mluyckx]

+1 with Chris, Baron and Portascat.... The only good fire ant is a dead fire ant

 

[portascat]

It ain't a fire ant story, but it is close to one. And it just came to mind.
Way back when, when i was about 21-22, my dad and i made a road trip from Houston to Neuvo Laredo. Basically, it is a trip straight down 59 South from Houston.
The rough halfway mark is Victoria, and somewhere south of Victoria we both needed to take a leak. This was about 2 or so in the afternoon on a bright and sunny day, so we pulled over in a spot where a small bridge crossed over a creekbed, and walked down the embankment (all concrete to the bottom) and took care of our business on opposite sides of a bridge support.
About the time we were finishing up, we walked around to the front of it and both kind of came to an awareness of a subtle buzzing sound that we had both heard the entire time, but not really been in the forefront of our consciousness, due to the business at hand.
We looked up to the spot where the column supports came to the bridge, which was only about 3 or 4 feet above our heads, and there was a very active wasp nest about the size of a basketball.
We just backed up slowly, and made our way back to the truck.

 

[bentmike]

Good call on the Epipen. I can relate hobie. Last year I developed an allergic reaction to yellow-jacket stings out of nowhere. I didn't have any trouble breathing but it was a scary and painful ordeal anyway. The hives came in waves for a couple days afterwords.
Same thing the Doc said the next one could be worse. I spend alot of time outside on bikes and motorcycles so I always have to remember to pack the Epipen. It's just funny how later in life the allergy can appear. I've been stung countless times by all kinds of critters and never had a single problem till now.
Those fire ants sound like real buggars!

 

[hobie1dog]

Yep, at a ripe old age of 56, then, BAM, out of nowhere an allergic reaction that sends you to the nearest Urgent Care.

 

[lankfordjl]

hobie..if you ever have to use the Epipen, remember that the side effect of it is like the rush you get on a roller coaster; its normal. Don't let the increased heart rate and breathing rate scare you, it will subside.

 

[mluyckx]

Lakford: Don't give Hobie any ideas.... he may try it just to get the side-effects :rofl:

 

[dervis]

Used to take lead from making home made fishing sinkers, melt it in a big pot and pour it down ant hills. The best part was digging them up hours later as the lead made replicas of the whole system the ants had dug. Was a ton of work digging up big ones though. Probably better ideas that have already been mentioned.

 

[pawpaw]

Hobie glad to hear you are OK just wondeing where is your sons house ? We have gotton some fire ants in Rowan but they aint made it to my town YET.

 

[photoman13]

Wow. I've been bit by a bunch of them and had nothing like that happen. I suppose I'm lucky. Glad your alright hobie.

 

[portascat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFg21x2sj-M

 

[nsfisher]

We do not have fire ants here but we do have horrible bouts of "Piss Ants" (really is the actual name). This time of year, after every huge rain (20-30mm) we get literally hundreds of the boogers in the house. Takes a day or so of the poisen they carry to the nest to kill em all.

 

[hobie1dog]

Nick's house is in Huntersville. The exterminator went there today and treated the three mounds he found. :clap:

 

[kennerth]

My first 50 years in California by birth. My last 50 in Texas by choice. One thing you can do in California that you cant do in Texas: Sit on the grass without much thought.ys nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning!@
Oh yeah, the most fun method of getting rid of a hill if you will never use the space for growing edibles is to pour a cup of gasoline on it let it sink in and torch em. There is nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning!

 

[baronsamedi]

Here's a link to all the Ortho fire ant commercials. They're funny.
http://www.scotts.com/smg/learn/infoHowToArticle.jsp?detailId=14000066

 

[hobie1dog]

Found another mound while mowing today near the back property line, I'm really cautious of those little Bastages now.