Posted on 09/17/2020 11:53:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway
There are all kinds of reasons to stay out of flood waters from Hurricane Sally and other storms on the Gulf Coast, snakes, gators, downed power lines. But there’s also a hidden hazard that could leave you burning for days, literally.
Floating islands of fire ants sound like something out of a nightmare or a horror film. But they are real, and they are painful if you get mixed up with one. WKRG News 5 photographer Jason Garcia has been covering storms for decades. So it was no surprise to him that he was able to capture an island of the irritating insects on camera at Civitian Park in Pensacola.
Fire ant attacks can be quite painful, causing huge white pus-filled sting marks, even causing entire limbs to swell. WebMD.com offers several suggestions for treating the stings.
Spray the ant island with the detergent solution and the island will sink, the ants drown.
And don’t feel guilty. Fire ants are an invasive species.
I have been the unlucky recipient of a floating fireant ball during flooding. Painful, left scars, and eventually some other problems.
That sounds horrible. Sorry you went through that.
The problem is you are wading through the water up to your waist and intercept a ball of ants and you suddenly have thousands crawling on you. They aren’t that easy to see or avoid amongst all of the other debris floating around.
They are a rather smelly for a pet aren’t they?
I did have a pet ferret but had the scent glands removed.
Is that possible with an armadillo?
The spray bottle of detergent may be helpful in getting the ants off your skin.
Phone rings, so I set down the box. When I hoisted up the box again, discovered it had been sitting atop of a mound of angry fire ants.
Broke land speed records dashing to the back yard and diving into the pool. Ouch x30. No good deed goes unpunished.
So where is the video?
Why is this news? Those that live in the area know about fire ants. Those that don’t, don’t need to.
The only ones I have smelled have been dead and it is maggot gagging putricity.
I did have a pet armadillo once but it was killed when my rhinoceros accidentally stepped on it.
Great idea, until your armadillo gives you leprosy.
Happens quite often actually, if you get any type of flooding around where I live, you can see the ant rafts if you look for them.
As bad as they are, it’s the displaced snakes that are a bigger concern, and the flushed out brown recluses.
alligators too
How bout a battery powered shop vac? Catch and release them into a crowd of”peaceful” protestors.
Floating Fire Ants sounds like a good nickname for the Washington Football Team.
This is what I always use as an example of ignorant reporting. Some young reporter “discovers” this phenomenon every time we have a hurricane. It ain’t nothing new, and all adults are aware of it.
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