Free Republic

As you sit there mulling a retirement in the South, approximately 1,000 people are already on their way to Florida today with all their household belongings. Should you join them?Like many baby boomers approaching retirement age and hunting for a warmer climate to call home in their golden years, my wife and I scouted cities and towns in Florida for a possible landing pad — so I had some skin in the game (we decided on elsewhere).But Florida isn’t all about the beaches, Disney World and the massive retirement community known as The Villages. I interviewed experts and residents for...

The invasive red fire ant, or Solenopsis invicta, has been found in Europe for the first time and unless quickly halted could quickly alter the continent's ecosystems, researchers reported Monday. Photo by Insects Unlocked/Wikimedia Commons ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The red imported fire ant, classified as one of the worst and costliest invasive species in the world, has been spotted in Europe for the first time, researchers warned Monday. Although there have been several "interceptions" of the destructive and stinging South American ant species previously in Europe, an established, mature colony had never been found on the continent until...

Red fire ants are one of the world's worst and costliest invasive alien species - and they're making Italy their home. One of the world’s worst invasive alien species has arrived in Europe for the first time, a new study reveals. The red fire ant has formed a mature population in Sicily, Italy, according to research published in the scientific journal Current Biology. The study warns that, with the help of global warming, the ants could spread across the continent. The climate in half of Europe’s urban areas is already suitable for the species. This could have devastating and costly...

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...

From what I’ve read the Imported Red Fire Ant species got to my hometown about the same time I did. And fire ants are not going to be gone from Baton Rouge or Bovina when I am. Ants are just a fact of life and there is no simple surefire ant solution. However, there is such a thing as the Museum of Novel Fire Ant Control Methods and Products. I just can’t find out if it is a true physical facility or merely cyber located. It is not definite as to what entity is its founder and curator, but I’m...

One danger evacuees and first responders are dealing with along with the flooding in Houston is fire ants. Islands of fire ants! CBS News correspondent Omar Villafranca tweeted a photo from Houston as the ants formed a protective island in the high water. According to Orkin.com, fire ants can exist in colonies of up to 250,000 workers and will sting intruders repeatedly. Fire ants feed on animal or vegetable sources of food according to the web site. No reports yet of anyone getting bitten by fire ants. Tropical Storm Harvey continues to head back toward the Gulf of Mexico at...

Shaking his head and staring down at me, Jaybird said, “I almost feel sorry for yo’ brother. For him, it’s sho’ been one helluva bad day.” It was a torrid July day in the summer of 1961. On my father’s Mississippi Delta farm, a huge field was covered with 80-pound hay bales that had to be loaded by hand onto trailers and hauled to the barn. At five o’clock, Dad opened the bedroom door. “Hay time, boys, git up. Jaybird is waiting outside for y’all.”

How does one kill crazy ants in a do-it-yourself way? We've put down Boric Acid and flea spray, both of which kill them. But, they keep coming back by the thousands. Any ideas?

When waters start to flood a fire ant colony, they take evasive action. Worker ants link legs and mouths together, weaving a raft in a process that can take less than two minutes (see pictures).

GREENVILLE, S.C., - South Carolina ants seeking to stay afloat amid flooding in the state are creating their own refuge by forming into "islands of ants." A photojournalist for WHNS-TV spotted what appeared to be mud floating in Greenville County flood waters Sunday, but he soon discovered the clump was actually an "island of ants." A similar video was captured by a photographer for WSAV-TV. Residents across the region reported seeing similar ant islands floating in flooded areas. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology said in a 2013 study that fire ants use their jaws, small claws and adhesive...

The ants take turns walking on one another to stay out of the water and survive. They eventually build dense circles like the one Nathan captured on his phone. "I was floored when I saw them," said Nathan's dad, Dwayne. "I had never seen anything like that."

ANTS: Good News Vs Bad News How many of you are familiar with Fire Ants? How many of you wished they would go away? THE GOOD NEWS: Fire Ants are leaving.THE BAD NEWS:“Rasberry Crazy Ants” (in honor of the Texas exterminator that discovered them), a.k.a. "Tawny crazy ants" , and scientifically know as Nylanderia fulva as driving them out. "I want my Fire Ants back!" is being said by many across Mississippi. Because these Rasberry crazy ants are much harder to control, and they get into everything. They get into the insulation in your home, into your electronics, into your...

A viral video showing an individual “casting a fire ant colony with molten aluminum” stirred controversy on the Internet this week. The video, originally uploaded in November, but only gained widespread attention on Dec. 9, shows an individual pour molten aluminum down an ant hill. The result? An aluminum casting of the ant colony weighing nearly 18 pounds. But, the artist seems to have come under fire from critics who argue the process is barbaric. “I disabled comments because I’m sick of your bickering,” the individual wrote in the video’s YouTube description. “Also, I couldn’t get YouTube to stop sending...

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...

As if by blackmail, the AZ legislatures want us to vote on a 18% sales tax that will cover the teachers that they have given pink slips and the schools they have closed. The Goldwater Institute has made a 28 second commercial that shows the meaningless and silly spending cuts they have yet to make. How do you justify a Human Nature Dance Theater and a Bread Museum when we have such a huge budget short fall?

This video clip is from a BBC documentary about fire ants. These ants build a raft out of worker ants in an attempt to save the Queen and the colony during a flood. There amazing instinct to survive show you why they are probably the most dominant life form on earth, withstanding almost any curve ball nature throws at them. Makes you think about the way the capitalist spirit has allowed America to become the most prosperous and successful society the world has ever seen. Throughout our history, we have withstood every curve ball our enemies thrown at us, in...

Chemistry may help scientists improve control of invasive fire ants A fire ant’s weapon is also its weakness. The insect’s venom attracts parasitic flies, which bring about a slow ant death that ends in decapitation, scientists report in an upcoming Naturwissenschaften. By identifying venom alkaloids that attract the flies, researchers may be able to better monitor populations of the pests and their enemies and to design improved fire ant control strategies. Fire ants were imported from South America in the early 20th century and, with little competition and no natural enemies, quickly became a major pest in the southeastern United...

Researchers in the US have come up with a cheap, environmentally friendly way to kill termites and other pests. The method involves the applying a sugar derivative, which inhibits an anti-microbial protein normally secreted by the insects, thereby leaving them open to disease.Insects have efficient immune systems, although much of their workings are still unknown. Nevertheless, one aspect that is well-understood is the existence of proteins called pattern-recognition receptors, which can spot microbes that should not be present. Such receptors come under a class of 'gram-negative bacteria binding proteins', or GNBPs.Ram Sasisekharan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, together with colleagues...

Researchers in Texas are trying an unusual approach to combat fire ants — deploying parasitic flies that turn the pesky and economically costly insects into zombies whose heads fall off.The flies lay eggs on the fire ants, and the eggs hatch into maggots inside the ant and eat away at the pest's tiny brain.