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Fire Ants down south??

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Old Nov 21, 2005 | 09:55 PM
  #1  
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Fire Ants down south??

I don't live in the southren part of the us. I live in good old Iowa. But I am concerned bout the ants in the south. Will they stay down there. Or will they migrate up here. And does anyone know if these little pest are being killed off? fordguy101
 
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Old Nov 21, 2005 | 10:44 PM
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From: south louisiana
Mais cher, we got plenty of dem fire ants!

seriously, ive read that they have been found as far north as kansas and maryland but they cant live long due to the cold winters up there. In fact they are not even native to north america, they've spread from south america, but they can only live in a warm climate.
 
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Old Nov 21, 2005 | 11:21 PM
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I had to ask a buddy in Alabama last year WTH a fire ant was. Boy did I get an earful.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 12:52 AM
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Where I am, they're something not pleasant. I regularly find the biggest mound, and park my mower on top of it, to suck em out, shred em, and dispatch em.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 01:11 AM
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It's amazing how much pain they can inflick.

Especially the Siafu ant, which can devour a human in several hours.

I think the fire ants have been here in the US less than 100 years.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 01:17 AM
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If you take care of them the same way i do let me give you advice: when the bottle rocket is nose first in the middle of the big pile be careful when you light it because they will climb the fuse
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 01:38 AM
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Thats what the torch is for. or better yet, a few good mortars. just be inside your car with the windows rolled up, and ready to drive.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 03:22 AM
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Fire ants are a good excuse to be selective when pee-ing in the backyard.

It is also a good reason to take exception to the common ban on dumping oil into the ground water.

If I could find something that ate them habitually, I would import it, but I have no doubt that whatever could deal effectively, efficiently, and completely with them - would most likely devour my home and whatever DOG I chose....

I say we GAS the little (bugs)!!!

A more moderate study of the problem would call for discovering what attracts them most strongly, and removing THAT from the vicinity of the home. Every form of wildlife feeds primarily on something that attracts it. Find that, and plant a decoy (preferably in Ivan Ribic's yard) and you can divert them... (Don't put it near the cooler)

But I would STILL like to take out my hostility upon them for reasons accrued while camping in the woods...

PS: IVAN - I'm looking out for your best interests, I really am. RUNNING, coupled with calisthenics will greatly reduce your beer gut...
(IE: HAULING IT, WHILE SLAPPING EVERYWHERE...)
 

Last edited by Greywolf; Nov 22, 2005 at 03:40 AM.
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 03:35 AM
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grey i heard from my friend in FL he uses beef that is been injected with sodium hydroxide. no sure if it really works but he places pieces next to the ant mound and they bring it back down and feed the queen with it a it kills here and the ants die. he has had zero issues with them in 5 years doing this when he spots them. he moved there and the lawn was crawling with them. now they reside at both of his neigbors backyards. he said a chunk of beef is gone within 20 mins.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 03:41 AM
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One wonders what happens if one uses the neighbors howling and whining cats...

But that pre-supposes catching them.

I expect that before long my yard will be saturated with two-cycle oil. I only hope I don't lose my mascot - a four or five foot long Gopher snake I have tentatively named "MARVIN"
 

Last edited by Greywolf; Nov 22, 2005 at 03:45 AM.
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 03:54 AM
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From Wikipedia

To kill fire ants without resorting to costly and poisonous chemicals, simply melt 1/2 bar of lye soap in 5 gallons of water.

Pour in a circle around the mound to prevent ants from escaping, then stir them up and drench thoroughly.

This will kill the ants instantly without polluting your lawn or garden, and is totally safe for vegetable gardens and pets.

I don't have a ant problem; just with rats the size of small cats.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 03:56 AM
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sierra ben where do you get lye soap around here? also i should have said that sodium hydroxide is lye.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 04:51 AM
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I just pour a cup of gas on the mound and light it up. I suffered enough with those things to show any kind of patience, I want to watch them suffer in pain. I get a sick kind of thrill when they all scatter when the gas is lit, sometimes I get so excited that I go around the neighborhood looking for more mounds to burn.
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 05:35 AM
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I have this mental picture of Bigdaddy as a small child with an anthill and a magnifying glass!
 
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Old Nov 22, 2005 | 06:47 AM
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It's my understanding that fire ants need a warmer climate along with moisture. The farther north of course, ground soil gets colder, deeper, for a longer period of time. This is not conducive to long term habitation by the ants.

I've heard, don't know if it's true, that the drier areas (i.e. far West Texas, etc.) don't have problems with fire ants.

The best thing I've found for fire ants is a product called "Orthene." I think it must be the smell that kills them because it smells bad.
 
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