Fire Ants almost got him

[EddieWalker]

This is my girlfriends 4 year old son. He loves to run around and act goofy when he's outdoors. He doesn't have any experience with fire ants, just us telling him to be careful about them.

 

[EddieWalker]

He wasn't on the mound long enough to be attacked, but that was mostly luck.

Any Fire Ant experts out there who know what the white things are? We figured eggs, but don't know for sure.

 

[Bird]

Yep, Eddie, those white things are the eggs and the ants move them up and down in the mound with temperature changes to keep them at the right temperature for hatching, so you'll find them very near the surface at times and deeper at other times.

 

[Darren]

Those are the eggs. I used boiling water to kill fire ants. When we had a mound near the yard, I'd put a bucket of water on the stove. Once the water was boiling, I'd head for the mound with the bucket and a long stick. When disturbed the ants always swarmed to the surface just in time to get cooked. No muss. No fuss. No poison. Just cooked ants. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Folks who aren't familar with fire ants sometimes meet up with them alongside the road when they pull over for some reason or another in fire ant territory. Then they get to do the fire ant dance when the critters head for the highest point which involves climbing a pair of legs. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[LarryD]

Your post brought about some childhood memories Eddie.

Growing up north of Dallas, I can remember the airplanes flying low over the neighborhood spraying for fireants. We figured out their pattern and would ride our bikes so we could be under them for their next pass.

dOeSn'T sEeM tO hAvE aFfEcTeD mE wHaTeSoEvEr.
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[stevenf]

LarryD, I was talking to our Vet two years ago, I was having flea and tic problems with the outside dogs and I don't know where his information comes from but he said if the fire ants keep doing what they are doing that Texas will be tic and flea free in 20 years as they are a fire ants favorite food. Whats funny is we had done a great job in attacking the mounds that year and had a fire ant free yard. After that we have left most of the fire ants mounds alone and we haven't had anymore trouble with fleas or tics. Maybe coincidence but if you leave fire ants alone they pretty much will leave you alone where fleas and tics are a PIA so its a tossup little kids, young animals gotta watch the fire ants but it is nice not to have to give up my first born to pay for all the flea and tic pestiside stuff for the dogs.
Steve

 

[MF1455v]

Eddie, sure happy to here the young fella did not learn the hard way as my son did.

At the time my son was about 7 years old. I had been telling him not to walk outside in the grass bare footed. He continued as most kids do. One night while we were out side he starts screaming and running around. I know instantly what it was. I grabbed the water hose on the patio and hosed him down. He had close to 30 bites/stings on each foot. He is now 15 and I can't remember him out side without shoe's sense.

 

[kensfarm]

"He loves to run around and act goofy"

Just a kid.. being a kid. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif We use to throw sticks in the hills when we were kids visiting relatives in Alabama. The hotter it is.. the faster those ants can move. I think a few people have been killed by fireants. Glad they didn't get him.. they will light you up.

 

[PBinWA]

When this Canuck first moved to Orlando, FL he learned about Fire Ants the hard way. I think I still have scars on my ankles from all the bites and I moved back to the NW over five years ago. Apparently, I'm one of those lucky few that reacts poorly to fire ant bites.

Those fire ants are pure evil. I love just about everything about the Southern US except the bugs and the dangerous reptiles (don't mind the non-dangerous reptiles).

Kill them . . . kill them all! <evil sinister laugh>

 

[Golfgar4]

Paul,

That's where I first learned about them too! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

We were on vacation staying at a local golf resort. I got paired up with a real nice retired American Airline pilot. We're on about the third or fourth hole and I was headed into the right rough (I was getting tired of always playing my ball off the fairway, so I thought I'd hit a slice into the rough for a little variety! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif).

I got out of the cart, grabbed my club and started walking into the "weeds". The pilot suggested that I watch where I was walking because of the fire ants. When I said that I didn't know what fire ants looked like or did, he pointed to a mound that seemed to be moving and asked if I could see that. I said that I did, and he said, "That's your ball!" /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It was completely covered by the ants! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif He also explained to me what they would do if they got on my legs.

I decided that I didn't need variety all that much after all! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif