Fire Ants

[b.k. barunt]

Those of you who don't live in the southeastern US have probably never heard of them and believe me, you're not missing anything but a fooking bad dream come to life. They were introduced to the US some years back (not sure of the year) by a South American freighter in Mobile, Alabama and quickly drove out most of the indigenous species. Their mounds can get as tall as 3 ft (biggest i've seen anyway) if left undisturbed and the slightest brush against a mound will immediately produce a swarm of pissed off little demons.

I first encountered these gawdawful creatures when i first came to Louisiana in 71. In California where i grew up the worst ants i encountered were large red ones in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. They were 3 or 4 times bigger than fire ants and would bite the shit outa you but they're pussies compared to the fire ants. Fire ants only bite to hang on and then they sting with their abdomens. They will also spray venom on the wound. The worst thing about them is that they won't hit you until there's a bunch of them on you and then it's like they have a signal where they all hit you at once. The venom from the bites creates little pustules that hurt for hours and that's for someone who's not at all allergic to such.

I hate the little bastards and won't pass one of their mounds without fucking with it.


Honibaz

[Woodruff]

Those of you who don't live in the southeastern US have probably never heard of them and believe me, you're not missing anything but a fooking bad dream come to life. They were introduced to the US some years back (not sure of the year) by a South American freighter in Mobile, Alabama and quickly drove out most of the indigenous species. Their mounds can get as tall as 3 ft (biggest i've seen anyway) if left undisturbed and the slightest brush against a mound will immediately produce a swarm of pissed off little demons.
I first encountered these gawdawful creatures when i first came to Louisiana in 71. In California where i grew up the worst ants i encountered were large red ones in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. They were 3 or 4 times bigger than fire ants and would bite the shit outa you but they're pussies compared to the fire ants. Fire ants only bite to hang on and then they sting with their abdomens. They will also spray venom on the wound. The worst thing about them is that they won't hit you until there's a bunch of them on you and then it's like they have a signal where they all hit you at once. The venom from the bites creates little pustules that hurt for hours and that's for someone who's not at all allergic to such.
I hate the little bastards and won't pass one of their mounds without fucking with it.

My daughter made the mistake of brushing past one while walking in Biloxi once. You're right...they're motherfuckers and serious bad news. As you mention, thankfully she wasn't allergic or it could have been fatal, from what I understand.

[Pedronicus]

In the eighties - We had Adam and the Ants.

[b.k. barunt]

Those of you who don't live in the southeastern US have probably never heard of them and believe me, you're not missing anything but a fooking bad dream come to life. They were introduced to the US some years back (not sure of the year) by a South American freighter in Mobile, Alabama and quickly drove out most of the indigenous species. Their mounds can get as tall as 3 ft (biggest i've seen anyway) if left undisturbed and the slightest brush against a mound will immediately produce a swarm of pissed off little demons.
I first encountered these gawdawful creatures when i first came to Louisiana in 71. In California where i grew up the worst ants i encountered were large red ones in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. They were 3 or 4 times bigger than fire ants and would bite the shit outa you but they're pussies compared to the fire ants. Fire ants only bite to hang on and then they sting with their abdomens. They will also spray venom on the wound. The worst thing about them is that they won't hit you until there's a bunch of them on you and then it's like they have a signal where they all hit you at once. The venom from the bites creates little pustules that hurt for hours and that's for someone who's not at all allergic to such.
I hate the little bastards and won't pass one of their mounds without fucking with it.

My daughter made the mistake of brushing past one while walking in Biloxi once. You're right...they're motherfuckers and serious bad news. As you mention, thankfully she wasn't allergic or it could have been fatal, from what I understand.

My best friend from California and his wife came to visit us a few years back. His wife's a marine biologist and she wanted to see the swamp so i took her out in a pirogue for some sight seeing. After we'd finished i was pulling the pirogue out while she stood on the bank of the bayou - i noticed she had her foot smack dab in the middle of a small mound just as they hit her.

The poor woman was traumatized - started screaming bloody murder and dancing around like a madwoman. I of course had to pull her jeans off to make sure i got all of them (no i didn't take advantage - she was in no mood) and i ruined a pack of cigarettes to make a tobacco poultice for the bites. She still talks about it as the "worst wilderness experience" of her life.


Honibaz

[oVo]

We've got 'em here too. Most large colonies when left alone for a long enough period of time submerge below ground and leave little surface evidence that that they are there. The ground is soft where they reside and if you are unfortunate enough to step in it, you'll sink six inches to a foot and emerge covered with the little stinging bastards.

In Texas there are flash floods that come and go, which often uproot entire fire ant colonies. They form a floating bundle averaging the size of a basketball, which is a scary sight if you happen to be wading through high water and see one drifting nearby.

[jonesthecurl]

In the eighties - We had Adam and the Ants.

Fah Diddly Quah Quah.

[oddzy]

if dante had lived in the southeast, fire ants would've figured prominently as a literary device on one of the bolgias.

[PLAYER57832]

When I lived down there, I was told that some biologists considered the entire south just one big ant hill. Apparently they are everywhere, though they only come up to the surface at certain points (or so I was told.. maybe they were just jerking my chain).

Anyway, glad I never had a big encounter with them. Spending most of your time at sea sometimes has advantages.

[oddzy]

i think your leg was pulled.

that being said, the little fookers have mounds in lots of places. i sprinkle for them as soon as i see a new colony.

[Borderdawg]

I hate those little bastards!! The mounds are hard as hell to kill out. I fight them year round down here.

[2dimes]

Am I the only one who has taken a half gallon of gasoline and made a regular ant hill into a "fire" ant hill with his cousins when they were younger. Another episode took half a day and a couple hundred fire crackers.

[b.k. barunt]

I hate those little bastards!! The mounds are hard as hell to kill out. I fight them year round down here.

I've never had trouble killing a mound with poison. I managed som cabins once up around Bogalusa and must've killed 50 or so mounds in one year. I never pass one of their mounds withoug tearing it up with my cane - i do that quickly though and then getthefuck away. They spread from the nest within seconds and once they get on your shoes that's it. They'll kill a lizard within a minute.

I saw a news clip of a guy who was hunting and fell from a deer stand into a nest. He broke his back and couldn't move out of it - laid there getting stung for over an hour before help came. They didn't kill him but he said he wished they had after a few minutes.


Honibaz

[nietzsche]

Here in Mexico we eat them.

Some like them fried in a taco. Others, like me, like the taste of them alive with a little salt and lemon.

[PLAYER57832]

Here in Mexico we eat them.

Some like them fried in a taco. Others, like me, like the taste of them alive with a little salt and lemon.

ants, but I don't think fire ants (though that might be a promising trend...)

[nietzsche]

Here in Mexico we eat them.

Some like them fried in a taco. Others, like me, like the taste of them alive with a little salt and lemon.

ants, but I don't think fire ants (though that might be a promising trend...)

Yes, Fire Ants!

[PLAYER57832]

Here in Mexico we eat them.

Some like them fried in a taco. Others, like me, like the taste of them alive with a little salt and lemon.

ants, but I don't think fire ants (though that might be a promising trend...)

Yes, Fire Ants!

I did not know you had them down there. Well, I never said I know everything! lol

[nietzsche]

Here in Mexico we eat them.

Some like them fried in a taco. Others, like me, like the taste of them alive with a little salt and lemon.

ants, but I don't think fire ants (though that might be a promising trend...)

Yes, Fire Ants!

I did not know you had them down there. Well, I never said I know everything! lol

Of course I was kidding lol.

[AAFitz]

I dont love the idea of them, but I fear their 2 dimensional threat much less than the 3 dimensional threat of bees, not to mention the speed factor. No doubt you would not be ffing with every africanized bee colony you came in contact with...or perhaps you would f with all of them, but all of them would probably just mean the one.

I truly wanted to make a statement about hate=fear, but as I "hate" bees, I simply cannot. But since Im nearly positive I could outrun ants, and possibly not bees...If I had to choose, Ill pick dealing with the ants every day.

Now...as ridiculous as it sounds, I have to kill no doubt millions of regular ants every year, but when I have the chance, I give them every chance I can. Its silly without a doubt, but I simply try not to kill anything unless I have to. I just dont see the point in it.

Even watching a little ant tells us a lot about our world. They simply will never, ever, ever give up. They fight for queen and country until the bitter end, and want to live above all else, but will give it all up in a moments notice for the better of their race.

We can only strive to have the backbone of an ant or a bee for that matter...or, many other animals in the world.

[john9blue]

Killing all those ants? Horrible! I think Woodruff might want to have a talk with you.

[Johnny Rockets]

I dont love the idea of them, but I fear their 2 dimensional threat much less than the 3 dimensional threat of bees, not to mention the speed factor. No doubt you would not be ffing with every africanized bee colony you came in contact with...or perhaps you would f with all of them, but all of them would probably just mean the one.

I truly wanted to make a statement about hate=fear, but as I "hate" bees, I simply cannot. But since Im nearly positive I could outrun ants, and possibly not bees...If I had to choose, Ill pick dealing with the ants every day.

Now...as ridiculous as it sounds, I have to kill no doubt millions of regular ants every year, but when I have the chance, I give them every chance I can. Its silly without a doubt, but I simply try not to kill anything unless I have to. I just dont see the point in it.

Even watching a little ant tells us a lot about our world. They simply will never, ever, ever give up. They fight for queen and country until the bitter end, and want to live above all else, but will give it all up in a moments notice for the better of their race.

We can only strive to have the backbone of an ant or a bee for that matter...or, many other animals in the world.

Ah Fitz.

I truly wish you were within driving distance. I truly could help you get over that bee-phobia...

Johnny Rockets

[b.k. barunt]

I simply try not to kill anything unless I have to. I just dont see the point in it.

There are 3 insects that i hate and will go out of my way to kill - fire ants, mosquitoes and roaches. They're nothing but pests and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. There's also way to many of them. I don't "have to" kill them - i want to kill them. I also enjoy killing them.


Honibaz

[PLAYER57832]

I dont love the idea of them, but I fear their 2 dimensional threat much less than the 3 dimensional threat of bees, not to mention the speed factor. No doubt you would not be ffing with every africanized bee colony you came in contact with...or perhaps you would f with all of them, but all of them would probably just mean the one.

I truly wanted to make a statement about hate=fear, but as I "hate" bees, I simply cannot. But since Im nearly positive I could outrun ants, and possibly not bees...If I had to choose, Ill pick dealing with the ants every day.

Now...as ridiculous as it sounds, I have to kill no doubt millions of regular ants every year, but when I have the chance, I give them every chance I can. Its silly without a doubt, but I simply try not to kill anything unless I have to. I just dont see the point in it.

Even watching a little ant tells us a lot about our world. They simply will never, ever, ever give up. They fight for queen and country until the bitter end, and want to live above all else, but will give it all up in a moments notice for the better of their race.

We can only strive to have the backbone of an ant or a bee for that matter...or, many other animals in the world.

There are ants, then there are fire ants. Fire ants are not native, for one (which along puts them in a "pest" category). They are also very destructive, unlike most other ants.

As for bees... if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone, really and truly. Also, realize that much of what you eat would not be around if it were not for bees, and that's not just the obvious fruits, etc. Cows eat clover that is polinated by bees, etc. There is a fungus that is threatening our entire countries' bee population, so I don't speak esoterically when I say we need to work harder to preserve bees.

[Snorri1234]

How deep does the ant hill go?

This is amazing and insane.

[Snorri1234]

As for bees... if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone, really and truly.

African Killer Bees won't. They are insane. They're quicker to attack, attack in greater numbers and chase you for longer.

[PLAYER57832]

As for bees... if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone, really and truly.

African Killer Bees won't. They are insane. They're quicker to attack, attack in greater numbers and chase you for longer.

True, and sadly, they, too are moving up north here.

I forgot about them. However, I have heard that even they are not quite as bad as some of the stories. That is, they can cause an adult a lot of pain, but are unlikely to kill anyone not allergic, at least if medical help is anywhere nearby. (Still, they are nasty, just not the deadly menace some reports would have us believe).