Posted on 05/20/2013 5:39:08 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Invasive fire ants have been a thorn in the sides of Southerners for years. But another invasive species, the so-called "crazy" ant that many describe as being worse has arrived and is displacing fire ants in several places.
"When you talk to folks who live in the invaded areas, they tell you they want their fire ants back," said Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, in a statement from the school. "Fire ants are in many ways very polite. They live in your yard. They form mounds and stay there, and they only interact with you if you step on their mound."
Crazy ants, on the other hand, "go everywhere," invading homes and nesting in walls and crawlspaces, even damaging electrical equipment by swarming inside appliances.
A study published in the April issue of the journal Biological Invasions found that in areas infested with crazy ants ,few to no fire ants were present.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Not likely. Like Asian termites, fire ants, zebra clams, etc., if its not a pet, it came here in large shipments of of commodity items (soil, ore, wood, etc.) or in bilge water.
LOL!!!
I was sworn in as an honorary Texan by Hayden Fry...
This is true. I had many fire ant problems in my yard, but now they have been replaced by the ‘crazy ants’.
I prefer the crazy ants. As of now they haven’t done anything damaging so far, and their bites are definitely much less severe. They also seem to be beneficial in that they also seem to be pollinators in my garden. They have driven out the fire ants and I don’t have to worry too much about that grandchild getting stung running around the backyard...........
They come from the Caribbean. Some people call them Caribbean Crazy Ants........
.... or vice versa.......
Well, it looks like we should invest in some BODACIOUS anteaters...or in some cases, Aunteaters. :o)
C'mon, really? There's really a trade journal called, "Biological Invasions"?
It's obvious the fire ants have taken over the current administration.
Lol..
Good one.
“...or in bilge water. “
Is that also how we got this terrible infestation of lawyers?
I was called to a scene once where a very elderly woman ventured outside and fell on to a mound and could not get up. The neighbor found her several hours after the fact. I can still see her and that was 25 years ago.
“C’mon, really? There’s really a trade journal called, “Biological Invasions”?”
Believe it or not, there is. Its been published out of the Netherlands since 1999.
In the current issue you can read an original paper titled:
“Comparison of phototrophic shell-degrading endoliths in invasive and native populations of the intertidal mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis”
Not what I would consider my morning reading material but, it’s a big world out there.
I wonder if we have these here in Pennsylvania? We’ve lived in our home for more than 30 years. During that time, we’ve never had an ant problem. About four years ago, we started noticing ants in the kitchen and bathroom - it was disgusting. We put out some ant bait and were extra careful about leaving any food out. As the summer wore on, we noticed the ants marching into the house through every available crevice in the doors, walls, and windows. So I went out with some Ortho Ant Kill (I paid extra for the comfort wand) and sprayed the hell out of the outside of the house. I did the same the next spring. No more ants. They moved over to my next door neighbor’s house. She hired a professional and got rid of them but they returned this year to both our homes. I went out and sprayed the hell out of the house again and they seem to be gone. It’s already on my calendar for next March. I’m not going to take a year off anymore.
Oh yeah, I’ve subscribed for YEARS. Last year they did a great in-depth exposition of sea lice moving up the Panama Canal.
“When I was a child I fell on a fire ant hill. I still can’t stay in the room when Mr. Mercat watches documentaries about ants. nightmares.”
We moved from Texas to upstate NY when my daughter was 2 years old. One day when we were in our new yard she started screaming hysterically because there were a couple of ants on her foot. She was anticipating the pain she associated with fire ants.
Gotta watch out for those crazy aunts...
http://chrisvaisvil.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/crazy_aunt.jpg
Protest Obama’s IRS at your local IRS Office or Post Office at Noon, May 21.
Gadsden Flags are optional.
Details on Michelle Malkin’s blog.
Hey, boy. You know how spot an Okie? If his university football team beats your every year.
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.
