Posted in Random Thoughts
I live in Michigan where there are no known infestations of fire ants. These painful stinging insects inhabit many of the United States including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. They have also recently been found in Missour, New Mexico and Nevada.
I never knew about these ants before. But I am glad to know about them now. Seeing as how the insects can be relentless there is a chance that they will make their way into the Great Lakes State eventually. So it is good to be informed.
Especially if you live in one of the states mentioned. Or even if you are planning on vacationing in one of those areas. These ants bite in order to grab a hold of its victim before stinging with its tail end over and over again. Doen't sound all that pleasant now does it? I think if I ever go to one of the states mentioned I'll bring some fire ant insecticide.
Have you ever had any dealings with these mean little buggers?
Jul. 20, 2008 - Untitled Comment
We live in Florida and have fire ants in our garden. I've tried several tricks to get rid of them but none have worked, so I have stings on my ankles from working out there, trying to weed. Each place an ant stings will turn into a little infected bump that looks like a bad pimple. They itch, too.
The first time I saw fire ants was at a campground in Georgia when my 17 year old was little and just learning to walk. She stepped on an ant hill and they started attacking her. She didn't know what to do, so she burst into tears and sat down right on top of the hill. I had to grab her up and strip off her clothes to get all the ants off, because they had gotten into her sweat pants.
A forest ranger later told us that the ants traveled further north by being blown there on storms. He also said the ants survive flood waters by forming a floating ball of clustered ants and then swarming over any floating object that bumps into their ball ( such as row boats).
Jul. 20, 2008 - Oh Yeah they are mean...
When we moved here we learned just how mean. My oldest is allergic to stinging insects and we had to deal with that. We battle them yearly. We used to use Diazanon which worked great, but they took it off the market. We had a few years where we just had to dig up their hills over and over. Then we started using 'Over and Out' and it has worked very well. hope they don't migrate to your neck of the woods.
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