Observation

[lavacarancher]

When I was growing up I used to play with Horned Toads. I would find all kinds of ways to use them like attaching them too match boxes and letting them pull them like wagons. Horned toads are all gone now. I haven't seen one of them in forty or more years.

Another observation of missing beasts was the red ant. Any of you folks remember those? Well, the other day I was walking out to the equipment barn and I ran across this bare spot about two feet in diameter and I knew what it was. Red ants. They disappeared from my part of the country more than 50 years ago and I always assumed that the fire ants displaced both the red ant and the horned toad. So my thoughts are, where did they come from? How did they get here? Are there parts of the country where red ants still flourish? Man, those rascals could sure sting and I'm going to try and discourage them from setting up shop on my place.

 

[M5farm]

are you talking about the giant red ants that are about 1/4" long and like to build there nest in old rotten logs and sometimes bare ground like you describe. we still have plenty of those and we call them fire ants and there smaller cousins pi$$ ants are still here and in the last couple of years we have gotten what we call crazy ants that are like the pi$$ ant and except black and act like they are twerking and not to be confused with the black sugar ant and I almost forgot the big cow killer ants that seem to be plentiful this year.

 

[TexasBred]

I believe it is Kenedy, Texas that is known for still having large numbers of horned toads. I personally haven't seen one in ages. Don't have any ants either except fire ants.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

i miss the old run of the mill pi$$ ants....

 

[kerley]

Kathy and I were discussing the Ants yesterday. We have not seen a Red Ant this year just the little Black SOB"S that are everywhere with a bite that stings and pimples up.

 

[lavacarancher]

are you talking about the giant red ants that are about 1/4" long and like to build there nest in old rotten logs and sometimes bare ground like you describe. we still have plenty of those and we call them fire ants and there smaller cousins pi$$ ants are still here and in the last couple of years we have gotten what we call crazy ants that are like the pi$$ ant and except black and act like they are twerking and not to be confused with the black sugar ant and I almost forgot the big cow killer ants that seem to be plentiful this year.

What we call fire ants are less than a quarter inch long - more like an eighth or smaller and sting like heII. Their nests are mounds of dirt and play havoc on your hat mowing equipment. The nests look like gopher mounds. Their bite usually leaves a puss pocket and a little scar when it heals up. The red ant is very large, upwards of a half inch and they also sting like hell but do not create a puss pocket or leave a scar. Their nests are in the ground (not on top of the ground like fire ants). They clean a spot around the entrance to the nest, depending on how large the nest is, about two feet in diameter. When I say they clean the area there's not a blade of grass, not a pebble, no seeds, nothing but clean dirt. Besides hurting when they sting, your lymph nodes near the sting site swell up. I'll see if I can find a picture and post it. What we call a pi$$ ant is more like a sugar ant and they don't bite (sting) or at least what I call a pi$$ ant doesn't sting..

 

[dun]

What we call fire ants are less than a quarter inch long - more like an eighth or smaller and sting like heII. Their nests are mounds of dirt and play havoc on your hat mowing equipment. The nests look like gopher mounds. Their bite usually leaves a puss pocket and a little scar when it heals up. The red ant is very large, upwards of a half inch and they also sting like be nice but do not create a puss pocket or leave a scar. Their nests are in the ground (not on top of the ground like fire ants). They clean a spot around the entrance to the nest, depending on how large the nest is, about two feet in diameter. When I say they clean the area there's not a blade of grass, not a pebble, no seeds, nothing but clean dirt. Besides hurting when they sting, your lymph nodes near the sting site swell up. I'll see if I can find a picture and post it. What we call a pi$$ ant is more like a sugar ant and they don't bite (sting) or at least what I call a pi$$ ant doesn't sting..

We had those red ants all over the ploace down by the mex border, glad that we left them behind. If your shadow even corssed their next they would swarm and sting something awful.

 

[greybeard]

I had red ants in my back yard out in San Angelo, and have them in my iron ore driveway here.
Of course, we also have every other description and species of ant here. This here be Ant Central/In-ground Zero.

Horned toads all left--they got sick and tired of pulling little match boxes around.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

When I was growing up I used to play with Horned Toads. I would find all kinds of ways to use them like attaching them too match boxes and letting them pull them like wagons. Horned toads are all gone now. I haven't seen one of them in forty or more years.

I read that and thought, man I used to play with those things all the times that was just........ gosh I'm getting old. It's been 27 to 30 years since I've seen one. :frowns:

I've played with the big red ants and my hands swell up to the point of looking like boxer gloves, the little black ants don't bother me. In Texas, those dang fire ants are bad enough one on one, but those things will gang up on you, and that is when things get fun. They always say, good deeds never go unpunished. I met them mowing a lady's yard for her. I hope they stay on the south side of the Red.

 

[papavillars]

Plenty of "red" harvester ants this year at my farm in south central texas, between Dallas and Houston. Our farm in San Saba has plenty of horned toads and red ants.

 

[Anonymous]

I haven't seen a horny toad since I left Arizona 20 years ago. They were fun to play with. We used to get them riled up and have them spray the blood out of their eyes at each other. Made nice pets too

 

[Caustic Burno]

When I was growing up I used to play with Horned Toads. I would find all kinds of ways to use them like attaching them too match boxes and letting them pull them like wagons. Horned toads are all gone now. I haven't seen one of them in forty or more years.

Another observation of missing beasts was the red ant. Any of you folks remember those? Well, the other day I was walking out to the equipment barn and I ran across this bare spot about two feet in diameter and I knew what it was. Red ants. They disappeared from my part of the country more than 50 years ago and I always assumed that the fire ants displaced both the red ant and the horned toad. So my thoughts are, where did they come from? How did they get here? Are there parts of the country where red ants still flourish? Man, those rascals could sure sting and I'm going to try and discourage them from setting up shop on my place.

Well if you need some town ant's for that part of the country bring your truck and trailer and I will load you up.
Town ant's and the reds were not the same but the were both high on the toads menu, I have watched Horn Toads for hours sitting around town ant mounds enjoying lunch when I was a kid.
The Horned Toad is still extinct here and has been for at least 40 years.
I have no clue if there is one ounce of truth to this or not, I heard the chemicals we were battling the fire ant with took out the toad.
This is a fact I do know when the fire ant wasn't here the toad was.

 

[ga.prime]

When I was growing up I used to play with Horned Toads. I would find all kinds of ways to use them like attaching them too match boxes and letting them pull them like wagons. Horned toads are all gone now. I haven't seen one of them in forty or more years.

Another observation of missing beasts was the red ant. Any of you folks remember those? Well, the other day I was walking out to the equipment barn and I ran across this bare spot about two feet in diameter and I knew what it was. Red ants. They disappeared from my part of the country more than 50 years ago and I always assumed that the fire ants displaced both the red ant and the horned toad. So my thoughts are, where did they come from? How did they get here? Are there parts of the country where red ants still flourish? Man, those rascals could sure sting and I'm going to try and discourage them from setting up shop on my place.

There's never been any horned toads here but we do have the red ants you're talking about. What happened to them was back in the 60's airplanes would drop fire ant bait all over the countryside- Amdro or something of that nature. It just about exterminated all the red ants but didn't do much to slow down the fire ants. The red ants have made somewhat of a comeback and I see a red ant mound here and there. They like very sandy and well drained sites that fire ants avoid.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

When I was growing up I used to play with Horned Toads. I would find all kinds of ways to use them like attaching them too match boxes and letting them pull them like wagons. Horned toads are all gone now. I haven't seen one of them in forty or more years.

Another observation of missing beasts was the red ant. Any of you folks remember those? Well, the other day I was walking out to the equipment barn and I ran across this bare spot about two feet in diameter and I knew what it was. Red ants. They disappeared from my part of the country more than 50 years ago and I always assumed that the fire ants displaced both the red ant and the horned toad. So my thoughts are, where did they come from? How did they get here? Are there parts of the country where red ants still flourish? Man, those rascals could sure sting and I'm going to try and discourage them from setting up shop on my place.

There's never been any horned toads here but we do have the red ants you're talking about. What happened to them was back in the 60's airplanes would drop fire ant bait all over the countryside- Amdro or something of that nature. It just about exterminated all the red ants but didn't do much to slow down the fire ants. The red ants have made somewhat of a comeback and I see a red ant mound here and there. They like very sandy and well drained sites that fire ants avoid.

ive seen barbwire look like black cables in flooded fields here.. they were covered with fire ants.. and they well climb each other in piles out in the field..... i may be a little sadistic but it always brings a smile to my face