Posted on 09/09/2009 8:51:04 AM PDT by Dysart
Something crazy is spreading across Texas, and it may be so destructive that one day it will make Texans actually miss the hated fire ant.
Crazy ants, so named because they move in all directions rather than in a straight line, first surfaced in Houston seven years ago and had previously been confirmed in 14 Southeast Texas counties as far north as Huntsville.
But now the ants have been seen beyond the Houston area, with confirmed sightings in San Antonio and in Jim Hogg County in the Rio Grande Valley.
This discovery is viewed as "a significant change" by researchers who have long feared that the ants would move to other parts of the state, said Rob Plowes, a research associate with the University of Texas at Austin Fire Ant Research Center who visited San Antonio last week.
What concerns scientists is that crazy ants established a presence in San Antonio despite a prolonged drought. The colony was located near a strip shopping center, a hotel and a drainage canal, which provided enough moisture for the ants to survive.
The best guess is that the crazy ants spread through nursery plants or perhaps hay bales.
(Excerpt) Read more at star-telegram.com ...
Popeye?
That’s a crazy Unt.
Crazy idea. Exterminate them where you find them.
For years we fought “red ants.” When the fire ant appeared, we began to leave the reds alone so they could compete with the fire ants for food/resources as a natural solution while we fought the fire ant.
I wonder if the crazy ant is a natural enemy to other ants as well since it appears to wipe out all other insects in it’s path.
I have my doubts that they are worse than fire ants.
I recall a couple of years ago, the University of Florida seemed to be on the verge of developing a system for destroying fire ants. Must not have worked.
They're tiny little critters. One bit me on the wrist about two weeks ago while I was out working on my lawn...I still have a tiny scab, but for a few days afterwards, I had a rash and swelling about half way up the bottom of my forearm, and up over the back of my thumb. Another one bit me on the ankle and left a similar welt. They don't seem to have been bothering my dog, a long, thick haired Tervuren, too much, but my girlfriend's dog, a short haired boxer has left my yard with some pretty nasty bites.
I notice them most around the front gate of my privacy fence but haven't quite pinpointed the nest yet. I think it's time for a curing fire.
Pour Crazy Glue on the nest.
I read that the crazy ants are natural predators of fire ants. Some sites say they bite and others say they don’t, but all say they attack beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and honeybees, as well as small animals by swarming them until they choke. However the biggest complaint is that they like electrical devices and will short them out.
Strangely, the fireants showed up here in North Mississippi the same time the armadillos did.
Also both my dogs have been bitten by something that they are very allergic to but Vet and I determined it's not fleas. This may be it. (Not this variety but fire ants.) They might have plopped down on a mound or something.
I kill colony after colony of fire ants but a new swarm of mounds crop up in their place in short order.
A result of global warming, no doubt. And since it started in Texas, it MUST be Dubya’s fault.
Wonderful. Another evil bug just waiting to bite me.
Whereabouts in TX are you? I’m in Lafayette, LA, which as I said, is about 3-4 hours east of Houston (my Rep., Charles Boustany, a retired heart surgeon, will be giving the rebuttal to Obama tonight). We certainly have fire ants in the area, and I know what they look like...these ain’t them! As to the question about whether or not they bite, they do. The first time I got bit, I was sitting on my sidewalk doing some edging and felt a pin prick on my wrist. I looked down and the little critter has his jaws locked in my skin and he was holding on like a monkey trying to ride a bronco. That was early evening after work, and by bed time, I had a rash spreading up and down my arm from the bite. The next morning, the whole area was slightly puffy and swollen and itched like poison ivy.
Old wives tale...
If you’re bitten by an insect, tape a copper penny over the bite to reduce itch and swelling. I don’t know if it works for everyone but it worked for me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.