Still hating those fire ants!

[dirtlooter]

Today started off rather nicely, cloudy skies, wind and slightly cooler temps. I try to keep an eye out for the many fire ant hills but still manage to dig into one here and there. So today I am in process of digging a pretty good sounding signal when I suddenly realized that I have a problem. I am wearing Crocs with shorts and as I jerk my head around to see what is going on, I know instantly that I have once again managed to get into the fire ants. Those things can move crazy fast as both my calves and ankles down are covered. As I move faster than the speed of light, I am both raking off the ants and smashing them as fast as I can. Yeah, they lit me up good. I look down to where they are coming out and see just a flat dried muddy spot, the result of the last big rain. They are everywhere and sure get old. I have one fire ant hill that has one heck of a good signal, I have considered pouring something down into it, just haven't done it yet. I am just really glad that I am not allergic to them like some people are. Oh yeah, the day actually got better, a lot better! be safe out there! DL

 

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[ChampFerguson/TN]

Here's the best thing you can do with fire ants:

 

[galenrog]

Personally, I think I prefer the appearance of copper, rather than aluminum. I understand why it is preferred. Less cost. Lower melt temperature.

If is ever drive to visit the grandkids in Texas, I will take the furnace and find out.

As far as the ants, there should be a suitable insecticide. I am in western Oregon, and have no such problems.

Time for more coffee.

 

[The_Piratess]

For me personally fire ants are my best friends and worst nightmare! So how can it be both you're prolly thinking? Well it is a known fact if you are looking for diamonds near a kimberlite or lamprolite diamond pipe that for some strange reason fire ants like to build their ant hills near diamonds so that is a great indicator for them if you're lucky enough to find one. The last time that I was in Arkansas at the Crater of Diamonds where they are easy to find as they are literally all over the place, I dug one up but didn't move fast enough afterwards! Their bites are very PAINFUL!

 

[pepperj]

San Antonio under the Hemisfair main building I decided it was a cool place to camp. Living the life of a Hobo it was dry, secure, and while working in a labour pool it was cheap rent. Lesson #1 don't leave a Tootsie Roll out and reach for a late night snack!
My introduction to fire ants was bites on my hands, face, lips, tongue, chest. Worse was I was buck naked in my sleeping bag being attacked by demons in the pitch blackness. Doing the jig, hitting my head off the floor beams thinking I was being attacked and beaten with a bat over my head. I was chewed right up, bleeding from bouncing my head off the floor beams. Buck naked taking a bath in the San Antonio river, then having to go back in to retrieve my clothes, shoes and a few items I headed to the nearest hospital. Still to this day I bet if the building is standing there's an abandoned camp under it.

 

[AlienLifeForm]

Man, I hate fireants with a passion. They have been bad this year, every time it rains I wake up to a bunch of new mounds in the yard. I poison every mound I find, but I can't seem to make a dent in their population. And how on earth can something that size move so fast? You step into a mound without realizing it and they are up to your knee before you know what hit you.

 

[fyrffytr1]

Add gnats to the list! They don't bite but they will annoy the bejeezus out of you. I have fire ants and gnats here so I get the worst of both worlds!

 

[Mzjavert]

Fire ants are easy, just follow the instructions. Some rubbing alcohol and a match = fire ants.

 

[BigWaveDave]

This was a party last year....still got scars.

 

[Mzjavert]

Here's the best thing you can do with fire ants:

View attachment 1481743

I couldn't figure that sculpture out at first. Had to Google it to be sure. Coolest art form I've seen in a good long while. But of course the detractors say its murder.

Ant colony artist responds to fierce 'insect killing' criticism | Metro News

 

[sprailroad]

Fire ants. I remember my first encounter with them years ago working along the southern border, may have been Benson, AZ. We pulled our equipment into a spur track to clear for trains, I stepped off my machine and was writing down some information, when something really started going on, I mean I stepped on and stood on top of a fire ant nest, and I tell you what, the track may have been near the main street, but I was off the track with my pants down around my ankles dancing around trying to brush those puppies off, yep, fire ants.

 

[dirtdigginfool]

This was a party last year....still got scars.
View attachment 1481962

WOW BWD...!! Those bites look P A I N F U L ! Ouch...as a 14 yr old in Texas, I got ONE bite like that and thought I was going to croak...dang, they LIT u up...Ddf

 

[Tpmetal]

Fire ants, brown recluse, black widow, copperheads, this list goes on about how much I love that winter destroys those types of things here. gotta love the north when it comes to lack of creepy crawlies and critters

 

[pepperj]

Fire ants, brown recluse, black widow, copperheads, this list goes on about how much I love that winter destroys those types of things here. gotta love the north when it comes to lack of creepy crawlies and critters

I got bit by a Brown Recluse, the emergency department thought I had the flesh eating disease on the leg, nasty little spider with a big attitude. We have our share of things that mess with humans.

 

[ivan salis]

fire ants -- I make em real "fire" ants a bit of gas followed by a match ..give the gas a few seconds to get deep then "flame on"...nothing like the popcorn pop of em frying ...they bit me so bad once that I almost went into shock

 

[AlienLifeForm]

I couldn't figure that sculpture out at first. Had to Google it to be sure. Coolest art form I've seen in a good long while. But of course the detractors say its murder.

Ant colony artist responds to fierce 'insect killing' criticism | Metro News

If that is murder, then I am the Adolf Hitler of fireants, I make no apology about it. If they left me alone, like say... honeybees, they would be left alone as well. They waged this war, and I will fight until my dying day to be the victor!

 

[AlienLifeForm]

Fire ants, brown recluse, black widow, copperheads, this list goes on about how much I love that winter destroys those types of things here. gotta love the north when it comes to lack of creepy crawlies and critters

Most of the creepy crawlies and critters in the North are of the two legged variety.

 

[dirtlooter]

At this moment, I have hundreds of little pus pockets with bright red around them, both calves, ankles and feet. The wife freaked out this morning when she saw them but I will survive. around the house, I use a little gasoline to slow them down. When I was a kid, my uncle ran up to a hole in the ground and poured gas into it and then lit it with a match. The hole was a ground nest of yellow jackets that had earlier nailed both of us while putting up fence. no more problem with them. fire ants are just bad news but especially bad for some people. there are a lot of little critters out there that can ruin your day or even your life and we have to be conscious of them so be safe out there!

 

[The_Piratess]

At this moment, I have hundreds of little pus pockets with bright red around them, both calves, ankles and feet. The wife freaked out this morning when she saw them but I will survive. around the house, I use a little gasoline to slow them down. When I was a kid, my uncle ran up to a hole in the ground and poured gas into it and then lit it with a match. The hole was a ground nest of yellow jackets that had earlier nailed both of us while putting up fence. no more problem with them. fire ants are just bad news but especially bad for some people. there are a lot of little critters out there that can ruin your day or even your life and we have to be conscious of them so be safe out there!

Take some Benadryl and that will definitely help. The liquid is best and put the cream on those bites as that will counteract their venom and also help with the pain too. Bee stings aren't near as bad as being bitten by fire ants and they don't linger or hurt as long either. Yes be very careful as some people can be very allergic to fire ant bites especially children! More people are allergic to fire ants than honey bee stings. Yellow jackets which are actually wasps are a completely different story. Also unlike honey bees which have a barbed stinger that they lose after stinging, yellow jackets do not and they can sting repeatedly! Plus more people are allergic to them and very few to honey bees.

 

[boogeyman]

There's some crystals that's sold in garden shops for them. Can't recall the name of the stuff but a guy from work used it for his. He just put a little pile by the mounds and sprinkled where he saw them walking around. What amazed me was a heaping table spoon sized pile would disappear in like 20 minutes! The ants take it & the rest partake and they kill the whole nest. Worked great for him except for the ones migrating from the neighbors yard.

Murderers!?!? Well, if it wasn't for all us sculptors all those animal activists wouldn't have anything to whine about, then they'd REALLY have sad lives!