Fire ants built a big mound at the foot of my mailbox by the road--I don't use the mailbox for mail, but for the deliveryman to stick the paper in. The ants in their mound building activity broke up the hard red clay, and they were busy there every time I went for the paper.

Fire ant bites hurt like h*ll, and cause a pustule to form at the bite site that takes months to fade away. I wanted them to go procreate somewhere else, so one day I drove up to the mailbox and ran my walking stick through their mound. Thousands of angry ants roiled and boiled out, carrying white egg cases. I drove off as fast as possible--you don't bother fire ants then hang around.

A few days later they were all gone. I saw that nice mound of softened soil, and thought to plant a flower there. I went to the feed and seed store and saw a bedraggled red petunia--the only one living in a flat of six. It looked in extremis and I bought it for 34 cents. I put it's feet down in the dirt and watered it. It's hanging in there, one bright red flower blooming at a time. Seeing those lone flowers blooming makes me happy.  Susil

Comments:

What is Sevin dust. Does it come before Ate?

comment by larryb on May 11, 2008 5:19 AM ()

Hi Larry; I heard on TV that fire ants eat termites, so I'm more
tolerable of them than I used to be--as long as they're not on my
property, lol!
Y'know, I went to RN school in Laurel at the old SMCH hospital.That
tells you how old Iam, Haha!

reply by susil on May 13, 2008 9:00 AM ()

I have a small ant problem here at the church. Actually it's not really a small problem at all. Tiny little brown ants that seem to be taking over our yard, the cafeteria and evidently the neighbor's as well. I might just go get me a walking stick.

comment by jerms on May 10, 2008 11:27 AM ()

Hi jerms; your ants sound like what we call sugar ants, I get them
sneaking into the house every summer. The little pests are almost
impossible to get rid of. Thankfully they don't bite like those
devilish fire ants.

reply by susil on May 10, 2008 11:17 PM ()

comment by tealstar on May 10, 2008 4:57 AM ()

Hi teal; I've heard of people using everything from boiling water
to gasoline poured on the mounds to get rid of fire ants; never tried
anything myself except Sevin dust--they hate that! The only reason I
can figure they left so fast after I tore open the mound is because
they wanted to get those egg cases somewhere else in a hurry.

reply by susil on May 10, 2008 11:07 AM ()

I have a story about being bitten by hundreds of fire ants. It was a scary time. I'll have to blog about it soon.

comment by redimpala on May 9, 2008 8:33 AM ()

Hi impala; a few years ago I read that some bedridden people in
a nursing home got bitten by fire ants, and it killed 'em! Those
bites are vicious... Hope you'll write about your encounter soon.

reply by susil on May 9, 2008 11:26 AM ()