Fire Ant Shuffle

[Bama]

I was spraying fence lines today and something happened that I thought may need to be explained to our northern neighbors. I got off the tractor to open a gate and before getting back up I did the fire ant shuffle. Now everbody in the southern United States know what this is, but with summer coming on I thought some of the folks further north may be visiting and see this strange dance and get the wrong idea about us souther folk.
The Fire Ant shuffle can cause you to come out of your clothes slapping at your legs running like you have a fireball in your nether region. It don't matter who is watching or where your at. People around here don't think anything about it and know what happened. Its the visitors that will be bewildered. Most everbody in southern Texas and over to Georgia and south of this line know exactly what it is. Some of the folks in Southern Tennessee have even been known to do it from time to time.
Back to what happened to me. When I got off the tractor to open a gate I unknowing disturbed a antbed. After I walked over it they got all over me. They wait until a bunch of them are poised and ready and one of them hollers go. I ain't never figured out how they determine which one gets to be the one to give the command. Anyway once the start they all start. The only relief you can get is to come out of your cloths and get em off. Lucky for me I was in the back away from traffic but if I had been next to the road it wouldn't have made any differance. Folks from the south will understand, Folks from the north would have thought, I always knew these rednecks were crazy.

 

[Alice]

Oh Yeah!

I went fishing the other day...looked all around the stock tank to make sure I found a spot that didn't have a fire ant bed...threw out my line...sat down...stretched out on my side...and within seconds I was up shucking my clothes. I carry fire ant poison with me in the Polaris. I grabbed that stuff and wasted a whole can on that one mound...stood there itching and scratching and cussing and watching them start to squirm and die. Had to get some satisfaction...morbid as it sounds.

Alice

 

[MikeC]

That's hilarious Bama. I got a good visual.

I have also shucked my pants in the middle of a hayfield.

I too think they count to ten before they all start biting. :lol: :lol:

 

[Nowland Farms]

Bama,

Been there done that several times before and boy does those little bite really hurt !!!!!!


Not trying to hijack this thread and at the risk of CB getting on my case for being a "Welfare Cattleman" but does anyone know of a cost effective way to control fire ants to a reasonable extent in a pasture and ......well here goes......is there any programs to assist in the cost of contolling the fire ants?

There, I said it.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Bama,

Been there done that several times before and boy does those little bite really hurt !!!!!!


Not trying to hijack this thread and at the risk of CB getting on my case for being a "Welfare Cattleman" but does anyone know of a cost effective way to control fire ants to a reasonable extent in a pasture and ......well here goes......is there any programs to assist in the cost of contolling the fire ants?

There, I said it.

Drag your pasture and spray with seven just like for army worms in the spring won't get them all but it sure makes a difference. Cost share will be about 50 bucks out of your pocket at the local feed store. Mix 2 one pound coffee cans to 100 gallons of water.

 

[MikeC]

Get yourself a solid round bar (1" to 1 1/2"), and grind one end to a point.

Joog the pointed end in the mound as deep as possible, wallow it around a little, then pour a pint of diesel in the hole. Top it off with a dash of gasoline and a match.

When you get the queen, you've got them all.

Guaranteed results. Hope you ain't got many!
:lol: :lol:

 

[ALACOWMAN]

how about hiding in between some round bales dove hunting and lean back against one and they come out of the hay down your collar by the hundreds..... scared a few dove off in the fury

 

[MULDOON]

Bout ten years ago , or more ,,,
There was a "Artist" that was living around Bastrop , or Austin, Bout the same.

Any way , He would Take some Ballast Heat it up until it was melted, then pour it down the Fire ant mound!
After it cooled down , he would go back and soak the area with water, Next he would gently pull the ballast out, it would look like a large bush ,,
But if you looked real close , you could see lots of little dead fire ants in the statue,
I've thought about doing it, but never has made it on my "to do list"

 

[MikeC]

how about hiding in between some round bales dove hunting and lean back against one and they come out of the hay down your collar by the hundreds..... scared a few dove off in the fury

What is it about wet hay that attarcts fire ants? When we used to square bale everything, if a bale got wet in the field it would be full of ants the next morning.

Maybe we could use a bale for bait?

 

[msscamp]

I've been reading the posts about fireants, and I'm curious as to what is the difference between the fireants of the south and the red ants (what we call fireants) up here? I've tried to google it and didn't come up with much. Help? Thanks!

 

[Alice]

I've been reading the posts about fireants, and I'm curious as to what is the difference between the fireants of the south and the red ants (what we call fireants) up here? I've tried to google it and didn't come up with much. Help? Thanks!

If we are talking about the same "red ants"...the red ants I know about are bigger and really, really red and their bite is nasty. Fire ants are tiny, viscious things that swarm all over whatever disturbs the mound...and they can do it in a micro-second. And hurt...my ankles stay bitten and blistered. They mound up everywhere...out in the open...in tall grass...underneath tall weeds and in their roots. They flock to anything electric and people have lost well pumps and central air conditioners to them (me included.) Now I put fly tags in anything I'm afraid the blasted things can get into and destroy.

Last year the DFW metroplex experienced severe flooding...and next to the high water, the biggest threat was fire ants. People trying to evacuate and tread thru the rising water stepped in mounds and were swarmed...even in the roiling water. I've lost a calf to fire ants because one day the mound was nowhere present, the next day it was in the pen.

Alice

 

[msscamp]

If we are talking about the same "red ants"...the red ants I know about are bigger and really, really red and their bite is nasty. Fire ants are tiny, viscious things that swarm all over whatever disturbs the mound...and they can do it in a micro-second. And hurt...my ankles stay bitten and blistered. They mound up everywhere...out in the open...in tall grass...underneath tall weeds and in their roots. They flock to anything electric and people have lost well pumps and central air conditioners to them (me included.) Now I put fly tags in anything I'm afraid the blasted things can get into and destroy. Alice

What we call 'fire ants' are about a 1/4 - 1/2" long, a kind of a dusky reddish brown color, they go absolutely berserk when their mound is disturbed and race around in all directions, and their bite burns like fire for a couple of hours after being bit (got one up my pants last Wednesday or Thursday ), and the welt left by the bite is there for several days (still have it today). Their mound is raised (varying heights), and made up of grains of sand on the surface. I don't know about the well pumps or central air conditioners because our pressure pumps are in the house, I don't have central air conditioning, and my folks air conditioner is in their garage. Does this sound like your fire ants?

 

[Cabo]

msscamp, if our fireants were that size and as mean as our little devils. they would take over everything.

 

[msscamp]

msscamp, if our fireants were that size and as mean as our little devils. they would take over everything.

What size are your fire ants?

 

[Beefy]

we have a fireant festival near here.

 

[backhoeboogie]

how about hiding in between some round bales dove hunting and lean back against one and they come out of the hay down your collar by the hundreds..... scared a few dove off in the fury

Heck, if you pop some dove, you'd better run to them and pick them up in a hurry. IF you take the time to reload your shotgun, they'll have a few thousand fire ants carrying them off.

DE works pretty good for small areas. We are about to camp out on the Brazos and trot line. I bought 50 lbs of DE in Glen Rose for $17 at the feed store. It covered a half acre. No ants on that half acre for three days now.

 

[RebelCritter]

You ever notice if you blow on them, they get even more frenzied? Its really cool to watch them. Dont get me wrong though, I hate those suckers too - mean awful creations. I heard peeing on the mound will kill them. but, um, I suggest only the boys do this... I aint squatin over a fire ant mound!

 

[Cabo]

msscamp, if our fireants were that size and as mean as our little devils. they would take over everything.

What size are your fire ants?

Never really measured one but I would say about one eighth inch long.

 

[Crowderfarms]

msscamp, if our fireants were that size and as mean as our little devils. they would take over everything.

What size are your fire ants?

Never really measured one but I would say about one eighth inch long.

I'm just glad we dont have any here YET.

 

[Bama]

I have used amdro on the yard. At 80 dollars and acre this ain't no option for the pastures. Last year Caustic mentioned the Sevin. I used it as he recommended and it does put a hurt on em. The one's that got me was in the middle of a field road that I havn't sprayed. I was spraying fencelines with a cornerstone 2,4,-d mixture, next time I will put the sevin in it also.
Msscamp, If these little buggers were as big as the ones you have we would have to call out the national guard. They are smaller but they pack a mean bite.

On the plus side I finished spraying my fencelines for the year today.