Designated Survivor
@1creekgirl (40636)
United States
October 4, 2022 9:24am CST
Did you know that fire ants have a Designated Survivor?
It would be funny if it weren't true.
Like many US states, NC has a huge population of ferocious fire ants.
Wind and rain from parts of Hurricane Ian seem to have encouraged their reproduction.
We've been able to keep a somewhat semi control on our property, although the price of the insect poison has skyrocketed like everything else.
Dale uses golf balls to mark the spots in our yard and field where he needs to spray a new mound. I saw about ten golf balls the other day and thought maybe he had been practicing his golf swing because surely they couldn't be fire ants hills.
They were. One day there was a mound right next to our concrete walkway. Dale sprayed it and spotted one lone ant scurrying across the walkway. He killed it, but if it had been in grass, it being the Designated Survivor would have started a new colony.
Department of Transportation spreads them every time they mow grass beside the highways.
Fire ants even create floating colonies in flood waters. So, I pray the hurricane victims and rescuers will be careful if they come across those evil insects.
They really are deadly. Do you have those where you live? If you don't, you are very blessed.
Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds.ImagesWebsite for this imageFire ants make water rescue... interesting - Insects in the Citycitybugs.tamu.eduType:JPGImages may be subject to copyright.
11 people like this
11 responses
@RebeccasFarm (86908)
• United States
4 Oct 22
I did not know.
I am glad we do not have them here in my immediate area.
I have come across huge red ants when I was a child in Missouri somewhere.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (86908)
• United States
4 Oct 22
@1creekgirl I am enjoying thanks Vicki..a little drama from someone else but I am on top of the world thanks praise God
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
4 Oct 22
So glad you don't have them. How are you enjoying your new home?
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
4 Oct 22
We'd have never known if that were true if that ant hadn't been seen making his escape. And if we're not really really careful when mowing, they're very easy to spread.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
6 Oct 22
@porwest I do totally agree with that. It's just that fire ants are horrible, evil little buggers.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78759)
• United States
5 Oct 22
@1creekgirl Ants are interesting and resilient creatures when you think about it. Despite the many troubles we run into with certain kinds, such as fire ants and carpenter ants, they are actually quite fascinating, and quite complex.
As I say often, nature is an amazing and wondrous thing.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (459629)
• Switzerland
4 Oct 22
@1creekgirl - We have ants, but the normal black ants, annoying but not dangerous.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80022)
• United States
4 Oct 22
I certainly didn't know that about fire ants. I hope Dale is able to get rid of them
Thankfully we don't have any here (that I know of).
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
4 Oct 22
We can only try to keep them under control. There's no way to permanently get rid of them. Their bites are terrible. They look like blisters, but they're hard, painful, and can leave scars.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (80022)
• United States
4 Oct 22
@1creekgirl I've heard of fire ants and how horrible their bites can be.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19008)
• United States
4 Oct 22
My great-aunt was talking about them yesterday. She said she was stung on the thumb and two was crawling up her leg. She said she had run out of fire ant stuff and will need to get some more.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
4 Oct 22
I think we watched it for a while, then lost interest.
2 people like this
@porwest (78759)
• United States
4 Oct 22
@1creekgirl Same here. It went quickly to becoming not at all about being a designated survivor but just being a president, and the whole point of the show got lost.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (157676)
• United States
5 Oct 22
We don't have them yet; and I hope they don't adapt to our climate and move up into Ohio. I remember seeing them in Florida.
1 person likes this
@BloggerDi (3113)
• United States
4 Oct 22
Wow, fascinating! Terrible too. If we have them here in SW Missouri, I'm not aware of it.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40636)
• United States
4 Oct 22
I wonder what helped there to not have as many?
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203451)
• Nashville, Tennessee
4 Oct 22
@1creekgirl We just sort of knew they were there and tried to avoid them. Sometimes we would pour boiling water on the bed, or cayenne pepper, many things can be used. But they eventually returned.
1 person likes this
