fire ants

[bxlarry]

Hi all.
I'm new to the forum but to MD.
Being lazy I left my gloves in the car prior to digging. After digging a plug I stuck my ungloved hand in the ground
and was attacked by fire ants. My hand spelled up to twice its size. The itching drove my crazy.
This is just a suggestion, please, please wear your gloves.

 

[berryman]

You must live in Texas.

 

[D&P-OR]

Had those buggars attack/sting me so many different times.-----Wearing a glove on your left hand (if you swing right handed) helps, that helps against cuts from sharp objects also.-----The glove doesn't help if you don't notice them swarming up your pants legs though!

 

[fowlercharles]

Hey Fellers, I live in S..Ms.and could probably write a book on Fire Ant mishaps. Early on "they" taught me better than to attempt any night digs. Another time I wound up with one foot on an in-ground yellow jacket nest(the BA kind) and the other foot on top of a Fire Ant bed while scrambling to finish digging a signal I hoped may be big/heavy enough to stop/slow the flow of yellow jackets soon as I lifted my foot off the hole and hauled butt. One of them had already nailed me on my wrist. IF, I was so lucky, my plan would work. It worked good enough, but barely because by the time I hot footed the few steps to my truck, jumped in and looked back there was a huge "cloud" of Yellow Jackets where I had been kneeling. I then had to crank up real fast and drive a little ways and jump back out and shuck all the ants off my right leg, because they had worked on me big time by then. Yeah, Fire Ants are some Bad Dudes, and especially if you are allergic to them. I seem to have worked up somewhat of a minute tolerance for them but only minute for sure. bxlarry done been introduced to the critters and is telling us right so " y';all be carefull out there,,, ya here?",, and HH Charlie

 

[ohmygato]

Please wear your underpants.

 

[tabman]

You must live in Texas.

Those little fire devils are all over the southern United States.

tabman

 

[D&P-OR]

RIGHT!!!

Please wear your underpants.

 

[sqwaby]

Make a paste out of baking soda and water, helps takes some of the sting out, or get some hydrocortisone cream for the itch.

 

[bxlarry]

Hey all
Thanks for the info on the fire ants. I met a detector yesterday that said
WD40 applied as soon as possible will alleviate any reaction almost immediately.
Don't know how true this is.

 

[dirtmaster]

Never lay your headphones down on the ground or on your detector on the ground. I did and when I put them back on the ants that got in my phones riddled my ears with stings. Took me forever to get the boogers out of the phones.

 

[5900_XL-1]

Headphones on the ground is a giant ant magnet for sure.

 

[Dign-nbama]

The little Devils caused me to take my pants off one night on 2nd shift, had to turn them inside out and shake them out..

 

[pull tab mel]

They got me a couple times the other day. Was hunting in a hay field after a rain. They were on the grass blades...

 

[GeorgeinSC]

Here in South Carolina I frequently hear them called FAR ants. All I know is that the little (expletive deleted) sting the dickens out of me. Why do we always seem to find a real nice sounding target right in the middle of where they are located and not notice them until too late. Thankfully I am not allergic to them but they do ruin a good outing from time to time.

 

[Steve O]

Back in the 70's, Houston Texas was a boom town when the rest of the country was struggling. Many a Yankee including myself packed up and went down there for work in the construction industry.
We never heard of fire ants. Our first tackle football game in the park was interesting.

 

[pull tab mel]

If those rascals were as big as rats could you imagine the pain....