Posted on 07/24/2024 7:50:16 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
Agricultural officials in Southern California are battling an active infestation of red imported fire ants that are "highly aggressive in nature," and pose a risk to California's agricultural economy.
The infestation occurred at a private property in Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, according to a recent press release from the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.
Located over 90 miles north of Los Angeles, Montecito is best known as a celebrity enclave with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle among the town's residents.
Officials did not name the owners of the private property.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
And if you do, you get bitten twice because they bite you and sting you at the same time.
And these things are mean. They don't need to be provoked like wasps do. They attack as soon as they touch your body.
Dealt with fire ants repeatedly in Florida. Fortunately, never stepped on a mound but the ones and twos that got inside were a real nuisance.
~ Montecito is best known as a celebrity enclave with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle among the town’s residents.~
To my knowledge the only crops growing in Montecito are grapes for the wineries (many of which are owned by rich Hollywood celebrities). The real agricultural / crops are further north in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valley areas.
has there been any terrorists passing through carrying “free palestine” signs? They’ve been known to leave behind invasive infestations.
Montecito is known for killer landslides and mudflows.
My oldest daughter turned a tricycle over and fell into a fire ant mound. She was bitten over 200 times and put in the hospital.
What would happen if you painted them white?
What are the plagues that the Bible speaks of?
I can’t remember, but if someone can name them ...then compare them to the issues Kalifornia is facing.
Seem like a little HINT, YOU GUYS.
Why did red import the fire ants? What a dick.
>> Go, fire ants!
Living in Texas and battling them myself... I never would have dreamed I would cheer them on!
GO, FIRE ANTS! EAT KKKALIFORNIA!
: )
>> You never get bitten by just one.
Not exactly true. Just today, I was picking okra in the garden when I finally realized that the persistent burn where two of my fingers meet was not okra spines but a single vicious and very determined fire ant! Little bastid.
But you’re basically right: when you tangle with a mound, they DO tend to climb on you en masse and once in place they share a pheromone that causes them ALL to sting in unison. (They don’t bite, they sting. They do clamp onto you with their jaws to give them leverage to sting.)
>> Just kidding lol.
DANG! I was planning to give the black paint a try. ;-)
Use ammonia on the bites. Clears the problems
>> The entire region will be soon be overrun with these vicious insects.
But enough about progressives... let’s talk fire ants!
They do cure the tick infestation problem. You better watch out!
(Really though, they do eliminate ticks. Only benefit to their existence.)
>> They do cure the tick infestation problem. You better watch out!
LOL! Thanks for the warning, FRiend!
Actual funny thing: over four decades of contact with them, I have gotten less sensitive to fire ants. Went from FIVE ALARM FIRE!!! at first when bitten, to just shake ‘em off and move on. I don’t even develop the white pustules from a bite any more.
I have not forgiven them, though, for what they did to Texas Horned Lizards. (aka “Horny Toads”)
Effective control means California will have to legalize M-80s.
Put oxygen plus acetylene down the hole and nuke it to be sure
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