[texas girl]

Have any of you ever came across Fire Ants?

Oh my goodness they are the absolute worst thing about Texas!

They are ants that thrive in a warm climate.  They sting you!

As a window cleaner; you have to beware of their ant hills. By the time you notice you have stepped in a mound they are all over your shoe and sock.

You treat them with Amdro; the ants carry the poison crystal to the queen and the mound dies.

These ants can kill livestock if given certain circumstances!  I can't tell you how many times I have been focused on a window above and then discovered I had stepped in a mound.

These ants have caused electrical problems in extreme cases because of their shear numbers and the destruction.

I have been living here for 30 years. The ants migrated from South America to here about 20 years ago. 

They do not like freezing temps, so up North where I was born (Iowa), they do not have them.

In case you were wondering if all is roses over here; it is not! We all have the good and the bad.

I guess when we get to Heaven we will know what real "paradise" is!

Hugs,

Texas Girl

[Philip Hanson]

Oh no, I got bitten (or stung I suppose) by fire ants when I stumbled into a nest when I was 6 years old.

I still haven't recovered from the experience.

-Philip

[karlosdaze]

Its when you lookdown and the whole floor is moving, then you start swaying.

[Ian_Giles]

Fire ants, shudder, thank god we don't have them over here
We do have wood ants, I'm not sure but I think they are the biggest ant we have, they love woodland with lots of pine trees.
They can build quite huge mounds, several feet across in a really mature and undisturbed one.
When you poke their home with a stick they get dead mad at you
The ones that run 'mound protection' sting you by sort of arching their abdomen and squirting formic acid on you.
Surprising how much it stings, and if you have let them run up the stick they are swarming all over, and then over your hand, and then squealed and dropped the stick, running round in circles like a baby and shaking your hand to dislodge the pesky varmints, when you lick your wounds, the formic acid has a strange taste too

Wasps; Wasps are a 'good un' too, try whacking a tree limb with your ladder (wasn't using WFP then) and dislodging a large wasps nest out off the tree.

Wasps, you wouldn't like them when they are angry......I didn't

I didn't get stung though (not at that point) But I had to get my ladder back somehow. After over an hour (it might have been less if I hadn't had the bright idea of throwing stones and sticks at them (from a very safe distance) in the vain hope they would desert their papier mache home.
I sprinted in, grabbed my ladder and legged it
Still sting free I stood by the car and concratulated myself on my lucky escape...then a wasp sneaked out of one of the ladder rungs and stung me on the shin
Didn't hurt much, about the same as a mild nettle sting, but within an hour my leg from the knee down swelled up like you wouldn't believe
I couldn't even keep my shoe on, had to take the one off!
Dr said it was nothing to worry about, was more because of the location of the sting in the lower half of my leg, circulation thing, oedema sets in, gravity, etc etc. Go home, elevate said leg.

So that bloody wasp sting cost me the best part of a days work in the end

Stinging nettles, now I hates stinging nettles, you can get some really strong ones too

Ian.

PS,

Debbie, what exactly is poison ivy? I guess we can't have that over here, though it often feature in American films.

[rosskesava]

Poison Ivy is my mother in law. 

[keefuss69]

here in bedfordshire its very green, so the chances of walking through stinging nettles is very high!!

i have found that by making a doc leaf and vinager souloution and keeping it in the van comes in handy.
just mash the leaves in a foodblender and add a bottle of vinager to the mush blend it well, then keep in an old tup of some sort, i use a swarfeaga tub. then when i get stung i just rub it over the stings and in about 20 secs the pain has gone, and no white bump apperars. smells a bit, but works great. just have some baby wipes to clean ya leg after pain has gone.

for wasp and bee stings :

my oldest daughter rachel was stung by a wasp last summer right above her eyebrow, didnt really know what to do, so i ran into the house and asked my mate google, the result i found suggested that i scile a fresh onion, remove the sting and place the onion on the place infected, keep it on there for abot 2 mins, then swab the same place with a cotton wool ball with some vinager on it. i swear guys and gals, my rach went from screaming her brains out to laughing and joking that she smelt of a fish and chip shop in mins.

i think it  would work for most stings and bites...(will not work for lion and tiger bites)!!!!!
hope it helps some one. because its certantly helped us!!
all the best,  keefuss

[Duke]

Last year one of my customers had a Hornets nest on one corner of the house...and round the other side there were wasps.....I was still on the ladder then (shudder).....I said can we leave it this month....he agreed, we had a cup of tea...and I sought easier pastures. The year before, different house just down the road from there...they had Bee's. I got stung in the ear, halfway up the ladder....jumps off cursing, swearing and landing in a tuck and roll...sprints to car...in, door shut and in a really bad mood.
Looks over to the house to see the owners looking through the patio window at me in amazement....him scratching his head. I didn't come out for about 10 minutes, until the Bee's had calmed down. I told them....either they go...or I do !

[Duke]

I was due to go diving on holiday a week later...had to cancel, because of the swelling, I couldn't equalise....

[Roy Harding]

I must have an immunity to Bee Wasp and ants as I have been stung several times by all. It smarts for 5 seconds and then nothing.   Our perhaps the saying is true, No sense no feeling.

[texas girl]

Gentleman,

Isn't is interesting how we all know about the dangers of wasps, hornets, ants, snakes?, Spiders, and other outdoor creatures.

Most folks would not give a second thought about these things.

My oldest son Craig is allergic to wasp stings and poison ivy.  I remember once when he was helping me do a house he was stung in the face from a wasp; had to take him to the doctor.

Face swelled up eyes almost shut; now he never approaches a house without the hornet spray.

We learn all the time about the hazards of our proffession.  Spiders are also an issue.

Poison ivy, altho it is abundant in many areas, does not affect me; but it affects a lot of people; my son and one of my daughters.

 It looks like an ordinary plant; if you brush against it with exposed skin you may not notice it  until later.

A small red spot that itches; then it will spread to everywhere you touch!
 
It can cover you from head to tow if you are allergic. Prompt attention is required as the itching will drive you crazy and the redness and bumps are very unsightly.

I know it isn't funny, but seeing our reactions  to these creatures is amazing!  Run like crazy; stomp on the ground like you are putting out a fire. Pole waving, etc. Unless you know,  it could appear hillarious!

hugs,

Texas Girl

[Pureandclean]

As kids, me an my bruvver were climbing a tree, he fell out, put his foot straight in a hornets nest, I jumped out of tree and legged it up the road, my bruvver wasn't as quick and the hornets caught him, he ended up lying on the road with them stinging him.
I had to run back, pick him up fireman's lift style and run up road with a bunch of angry hornets chasing us.
Bruvver was in front room for an hour or so with mother pulling out the stings.

I was asked by customer to put wasp killer in a nest under their roof, went up ladder, puffed dust into nest, came back down, watching nest I thought haven't put enough in there, so went back up, nest had got quite busy by now, and as I puffed some more in, one of the blighters stung me. I was top of ladder with container of wasp killer in one hand and wasp stinging other hand. I had to run down ladder, leaning shoulder on sides of ladder, whilst shaking hand as hard as possible to get rid of wasp.
 I decided that, that was the last wasp killing I would do !!

 : Blessings  :

Graeme

[Ian_Giles]

Ouch!
Good one Graeme
I'm glad I'm not the only one that falls foul of insects.
As a kid I sat on one at a family picnic, got stung in the arse .....which was nice

Another time, on a rope swing tied over a tree limb that was protruding a shallow quarry, I lost my grip, and wearing only shorts and sandles fell about ten feet......into a huge patch of enormous nettles And then had to wade through about 30 feet of them to get out, nettles and brambles, all above my head too

Its fun being young

Ian

[windows_chepstow]

Have any of you ever came across Fire Ants?

Can you eat them?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0715_040715_tvinsectfood.html

If so; problem solved!

[Duke]

might get a sore throat.....

[windows_chepstow]

might get a sore throat.....

Duke,

Don't ever pose a problem, without presenting a solution!



Sore throat lozenges, individually wrapped - 100 per box
Our sore throat lozenges provide fast and temporary relief of minor sore throat pain associated with colds, flu and other throat irritations. Active Ingredient: Hexylresorcinol 2.4 mg.

Sorted!

[Duke]

hmmm....so, munch ant...cost...one billion billionth of a penny....then pay x pounds to fix resulting problem. Lesson....Ants are expensive to eat...unless of course you are an armadillo or something...in which case the cure would probably kill...

[texas girl]

Just a note to Ross;

That was funny" poison ivy is my mother in law!

Texas

[NBwcs]

Dont like the sound of fire ants. Found out the hard way 3yrs ago that ive got a real problem with red ants which sound positivly nice compared to fire ants. I got bitten about seven times whilst leaning down a manhole (used to work for Anglian Water) and went into anaphalatic (forgive spelling) shock. Like a prat, drove home which took 45 mins by which time my nostils were closed tight, and my face had swelled up like a balloon. You have my full sympathy Texas Girl.

[texas girl]

Bill,

Red ants sound Ugly!  I can tell you fire ants are enemies! Isn't it interesting that we must arrive on the job site armed for critters that will bite or sting!

They are our enemies that we must destroy or they will in some way inflict pain and agony to us!

With spring right around the corner, stock up on the hornet spray!

Take care

Hugs,

Texas girl