I got mauled by fire ants....those little bastages!

BigWaveDave

BigWaveDave

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Nov 22, 2013
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Mountain Maryland
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Yesterday morning I was on an unremarkable short hunt, didn't find anything worth posting, but remember getting bit by a fire ant or two...not a big deal, its part of the charm of living here in Florida. So then today, sure enough, I kneeled on top of another nest, this time I got seriously tore up, didn't realize it until dozens of them were behind my kneepads, on my legs, and up my shorts, heading north.... A lady walking her dog got quite a show as I wiggled these little guys out from my business. In shaking them off, I discovered the carnage from yesterday, no telling how bad these little pustules will be this time tomorrow...Happy Hunting!

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PS... that is a pic of my right knee.
 

Horrible photo, Dave! I've been bitten by a few of those buggers in the jungles of Panama. Also once by what I think was a bullet ant, I was almost crying in pain. My last excursion in Panama, though, I had just assembled my machine and my buddy and I were attacked by a swarm of bees or wasps. They got in through the holes in my Tilley hat and stung me a few times right on my head! I ran away and luckily, they dispersed quickly. I was light-headed for a while after that one. I figured we, unknowingly, walked near or under their nest. The things we do for adventure and treasure!
 

regular thing anymore, they do that to me, my son-n-law has to get the shots. once had a small buck walk up to me, it was trying to figure out what i was and was standing right in the middle of a huge fire ant hill. it stood there for a long time with the ants swarming its leg and I kept waiting for it to suddenly take off like crazy but it never did, just moseyed around and finally walked off. I can only assume that they don't have much feeling in those skin and bone legs.
 

Ouch!
Thanks for the "southern" photo. lol
We've got 'em up here too. Always to be avoided.
Mend well...
Peace ✌
 

Luckily never had a run in with a fire ant but did with a velvet ant which is actually a wingless wasp and have a serious attitude problem. I hear a lot about fire ants and how bad they are so I'm glad to have not come across them, worst we have to deal with are the ground nests of yellow jackets.
 

We do not have them here in Jersey, but I got into them one time when we were in Texas. I do know we went to Padre Island and the salt water cleared them up fast. At least it worked for me. They can leave scars. Nasty little critters!
 

Eeeeee! That looks no fun at all. We haven't had the pleasure of fire ants up here.

Years ago I was working on a loose rain gutter along our eves and I thought I had sliced myself on aluminum flashing. When I brought my arm up I had three white-faced hornets attached and they were biting and stinging like mad. More were arriving and I turned and ran right off the roof - which happily was only one storey at the rear as we were built on a hillside. My arm looked like Popeye's for a week and my hand looked like Mickey Mouse's.

My wife and my dog recently both tested positive for Lyme Disease (I was a negative). Another fun thing to be mindful of.
 

They are ignorant little buggers no doubt about it. My sympathies on your attack,
 

That looks so painful Dave,ouch! Sorry the little buggers stung you.
 

Yep, ants suck! Fire ants are the only kind of ants I have in my yard!! NO FUN!!
BTW... STAY OUT OF THE ANTS!! :laughing7:
 

Yep nasty buggers in the wild!

Try a ring of Vaseline or Vick's Vapor Rub around your boots.

They will not cross this!
 

Last edited:
Robot said:
Yep nasty buggers in the wild!

Try a ring of Vaseline or Vick's Vapor Rub around your boots.

They will not cross this!
Click to expand...

Teach me how to not kneel directly on top of a nest.:dontknow:
 

I hate fire ants so much, that sting really "bugs" me extremely! I'm so sorry that happened to you. We need to declare war on them. They've been moving north since they invaded in the 1930's, luckily they don't seem to like the cold...yet! They have no natural predators here in the states so stopping them may be impossible!
 

Charlie P. (NY) said:
Eeeeee! That looks no fun at all. We haven't had the pleasure of fire ants up here.

Years ago I was working on a loose rain gutter along our eves and I thought I had sliced myself on aluminum flashing. When I brought my arm up I had three white-faced hornets attached and they were biting and stinging like mad. More were arriving and I turned and ran right off the roof - which happily was only one storey at the rear as we were built on a hillside. My arm looked like Popeye's for a week and my hand looked like Mickey Mouse's.

My wife and my dog recently both tested positive for Lyme Disease (I was a negative). Another fun thing to be mindful of.
Click to expand...


Having Lyme disease now for 10 years and the hell that has come with it, id gladly take on hornets and fire ants any day. I'm truly sorry hour wife came down with it and as for you don't believe that test. If you suspect Lyme be aware that the test is only 15% accurate on negative results and the only other test is a spinal tap and its 85% accurate. I know what hell this damned disease brings and I wouldn't wish it on anyone...mmm maybe terrorists
 

I've never had to deal with fire ants Dave... but I've been laced with chiggers before and I mean COVERED!!!! Hope the pain goes away soon buddy.... Brad
 

Fire ants used to leave scars on my wife, a brown patch about an eighth of an inch diameter. The 'scar' would last for several months. I don't understand why, and am thankful, I can get stung multiple times and it hurts for a few minutes, but the little red whelp will be gone the next day without any other indication that it happened.
I was standing on the bank of Lake Waco one morning with a rod and reel, casting a lure. I felt something, looked down, and saw hundreds of fire ants crawling up my pants legs. I was near some bushes and quickly shed my pants. I brushed them little critters off and only got a few stings. When I went back to the rod and reel, I saw that I had been standing in a bed of them critters.
Our yard would have multiple (15 to 20) mounds a day or so after a rain. I used just about everything to try to slow them down. No way to eradicate them that I know about. The best thing I've found was gasoline or diesel. 'Course if the EPA or the water commission (local extension of the EPA) had caught me---WOW! I used to pump water from the gasoline tanks around the area and always kept a little of the mixture on hand. I would pour about a half cup on a mound. It would disappear, but 'course there were probably millions of those little buggers under there a little deeper in the ground.
Up here in Idaho, where I've been since '07, I couldn't be happier about the 'critters' that sting and bite. No fleas that I've seen, no fire ants, and no chiggers. It's great! Also great for the dogs.
 

Brother in Ft Worth said the fire ants clean all the fleas and ticks off his dogs.
 

Updated Count!!!

I now have 74 welts on my right leg, worse than I thought.....:help:
 

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