Fire ants invade North Texas with heavy rains

WFAA.com ^ | May 21, 2015 | Philip Townsend

[OldSmaj]

I don't know what that picture is from, but it brought to mind a body I once found, while hunting on Fort Rucker, AL.

It was a suicide, been missing for about 5 days.

It was so covered by fire ants that at first I didn't recognize it as a human body.

Only the feet sticking out from the mounds gave it away.

According to the coroner (This was in the late '70's), the guy had apparently killed himself and landed on three mounds.

They had just built the mounds up around him.

There was some evidence of consumption, but for the most part, the mounds had preserved the body.

This was in April, during turkey season, and it gets fairly hot down there.

I felt sorry for the guys that had to go in and recover the body.

[yarddog]

My two year old and I were standing in my parent’s pasture in NW Florida. I happened to look at her and she was standing right in the middle of a fire ant mound.

She screamed and began running. I caught her after only a few feet, ripped off her sandals and socks and swept all of them off with my hands.

She is now 38 and I mentioned it to her a few days ago. She remembered it well and told me she did not get a single sting. I am pretty sure that is correct tho hard to believe.

[SkyDancer]

Boric acid. Will do them in every time. And don’t get the 40% stuff, it’s out there. Home Depot and get the one that says Roach killer, it’s 98% ... it’s a fine powder.

[central_va]

[Cementjungle]

6 weeks ago my wife walked across the lawn to go to the house next door... in her sandals. She got nailed big time... she’s still getting over it.

[Bubba_Leroy]

I HATE gardening here in TX! I’m also convinced that Amdro, etc. just makes them move to another location. Damn things never really die.

It took several years but my neighbors and I managed to eradicate every fire ant mound on our properties. Virtually no fire ants for almost ten years. Unfortunately, my next door neighbor passed away and the fire ants retook control of his property. After the rains last weekend, I counted over a dozen new mounds on my property and that was based on a quick walk around. I know what I will be doing this weekend.

I have found the most effective way to control them is to pour Ortho Orthene directly on each mound whenever you find one and regularly broadcast Amdro all over your property.

[Publius]

Ping.

[yarddog]

It is possible to keep them under control but it is a never ending battle and eventually you will lose.

[mosesdapoet]

In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled Fire ants invade North Texas with heavy rains, 2ndDivisionVet wrote:
Gasoline or lighter fluid and a match.

Absolutely finish the job

[ought-six]

Fire ants. I hate those damn things.

[ought-six]

Great movie! And great short story (”Lenningen and the Ants”).

[Bubba_Leroy]

[SZonian]

Nasty buggers...one of our dogs ran through a fire ant dirt mound and I got the hell bit out of me taking care of him. Had to dunk him in a tub of soapy water to suffocate the bastards.

Have you tried instant grits?

Worked quite well on the fire ants in SC.

[LukeL]

That would be Army Ants

[caprock]

Couldn’t agree more!

[sockmonkey]

Back in the 2002 Texas floods, I was digging a ditch to try to keep the water out of my house. One of those balls of fire ants floated against my leg, and thought they’d make it out of the water. I swear they can bite under water. I feel nauseous, and prickly just thinking about it.

After they started chomping, I completely lost interest in digging the ditch to keep the flood waters at bay.

[fatnotlazy]

Ouch! Prayers for her recovery.

[Professional Engineer]

Ha!!!

[Old Yeller]

My Dad was tending his garden. He got tired so he sat on the ground...right on a colony of fire ants.

Dad learned the hard way. Those ants are nasty.

Great balls of fire! What happened?

[vetvetdoug]

In 1974 the fire ants were no further North in Mississippi than Meridian, Ms. That year, EPA made the claim that Myrex was environmentally unsafe and Myrex’ sole purpose was to kill fire ants and was effective. I noticed that mounds were further North about 50 miles each year after Myrex was outlawed. In 1985 was the first time I noted mounds on the Tennessee/Mississippi state line. The expansion of the fire ant territory can be attributed to EPA’s removing Myrex from the armamentarium of ant poisons.