What are fire ants?

[richerso]

I know this is a little off topic for this forum; but I just have to share. I give the moderators permission to remove this thread if it's inappropriate.

OK, we all live in Texas. Right? You would think that we all know what fire ants are. I think.

So earlier today, I am standing in my driveway, about to climb into my Texas vehicle and wander to the store. Four neighborhood kids, ages 8-10, come walking down the street. They pass my house and make it to the neighbor's house.

Suddenly, I notice that they have stopped and they are staring intently at a spot on the ground. I can see that they are looking at a fire ant mound. First, one kid takes a kick at the mound. Then a second kid takes a half-hearted kick at the mound. A third kid jumps in there with some motivation and gives the mound a swift two or three kicks.

Then all of the kids stop; look at the mound; lose interest and start walking down the street again. These kids got about 5 steps away from the mound when suddenly, two of the kids start doing this jitterbug dance! LOL! Wow! That was funny! ROFLMAO!

The other two kids start trying to help the situation by swatting at the pant legs of the two kids doing the jitterbug! I lost it! I was rolling on the ground with laughter! One of the kids kicked his shoes off! The fourth kid picks up the shoes and starts swatting at the ants; trying to knock them off. Then he starts doing the jitterbug dance and swatting at his arm! Ha!

 

[soudan]

LOL....... i guess now they know what fire ants are, and what they can do

as a kid in Texas I had my share of fire ant bites! and if you've never been bitten by one then you don't really know how it feels... I saw a show about them on the Animal Planet channel and it showed that every ant grabs on to your skin with its claws/teeth or whatever they have on their mouths, then they start biting and spinning and biting and spinning till they fall or you knock them down!!! very painful, so imagine that happening to you but with a minimum of 50 or so ants... Now that is bad...

I doubt those kids will ever be coming near any kind of mound again

 

[metaldector]

Three weeks ago I was camping here in Florida and decided to build a campfire around sunset. I was in my sandels and lighting the fire when I started to do the jitterbug. Seems I was standing in a big nest:shocked2: that was next to the fire pit. In the dark I didn't see it. Now three weeks later all but three bites have healed. I'll inspect my campsite a bit closer in the future.

 

[Bryan]

And take care not to burst the blisters or the infection may spread...

 

[kadleck]

Takes me back! I was camping many moons ago and pitching a tent bare-foot. It suddenly felt like someone tipped a pan of boiling water on my foot. There were hundreds of fire ants biting my left foot in unison. Having removed them (and me+tent from vicinity), my foot was a mass of blisters. Nasty critters.

To intentionally anger them as those kids did is pure insanity - funny though.

 

[YellowfinKunkfish]

As I mentioned earlier in another thread I was born in Texas. A bit further south, AFB just outside of Del Rio. Anyway, when I was about 8 months old, and crawling, my mom sat me down in the yard to play while she chatted with the neighbors. (In TEXAS, what was she thinking????!) She heard me screaming, and ran over, and she said I was literally covered in fire ants, I had found a mound, and thought it would be fun to play in.

I swear those same ants still hunt me today. Every time we go diving, as soon as I step out of the van, they find me, bite me, and my feet swell up like balloons.

I HATE Fire Ants.

Rhonda

 

[ZzzKing]

We didn't have fire ants in N Texas when I was a kid. They've shown up here in the last 15-20 years. Some results of their movement into the area include the demise of the red ant population (no loss there) and there are no more horny toads. We used to catch them and play with them all the time. They were great. We also used to fire bomb the red ant beds around Independence Day with Black Cats and smoke bombs. Don't think I would wage war against the fire ants without some serious chemicals and good protection.

 

[MichaelBaranows]

Those kids have been playing too much video games or haven't been in Texas very long.

 

[cyklon_300]

I am an ardent environmentalist and do not condone the use of pesticides in general.

HOWEVER, in the case of FAs, I advocate the use of the most heinous chemicals available.

Forget the Amdro and other 'birth control' nonsense. Purchase a product called Orthene (mfg by Chevron). Use very sparingly...1/8 teaspoon per mound is more than enough.

Their little asses will be gone in 4 hours. No ifs, ands, or buts.

ps: do NOT store this chemical anywhere inside your home. The smell from even a tightly closed canister can be overwhelming.

 

[richerso]

LOL! Thanks cyklon! I must make a note of this. I am not an ardent environmentalist. I am not a rabid tree hugger; but I do advocate a healthy respect for the environment for purely pragmatic reasons of sustaining the eco system. Alright, enough of that. Still, I will pursue chemical warfare when chemical warfare is necessary.

Alright, let's see. Orthene. Chevron. Noted.