# Fire Ants are not my friends **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 29, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135 "2000-08-29T02:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/21 "2000-08-30T15:59:24Z")
Fire ants = Little Bloodthirsty Demons from the Pits of Hell. I love my home state of Alabama, but the sight of a pasture (or an unlucky homeowner’s front yard) dotted with foot-high mounds of red clay/dirt, each teeming with thousands upon thousands of fire ants, makes me think longingly of Nova Scotia. Or Pago Pago. Or anywhere fire ants aren’t. One of the great pleasures is running over a fire ant bed with the lawn mower and seeing them run around all pissed off with nothing to vent upon. Take that, you minions of the netherworld! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/22 "2000-08-30T17:38:04Z")
I gor attacked about three weeks ago. The bites are finally scabbing over. I’ll try the meat tenderizer thing and/or bleach next time. They are definitely the scourge of the earth. And sneaky! How do they all get on you and then say _NOW_ and all bite you at once. Dirty sonsabitches… another reason I shouldn’t live in Texas. Amdro works pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/23 "2000-08-30T17:43:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Black12 \* > \*\*Fire what?! What ants?! I’ve never encountered such a thing! Thank goodness I live in New England - we hardly have anything that bites us. \*\* I’ll bet you don’t have Houston-style flying roaches either! ---
**Author:** ![Mamapotomus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/94ad74/32.png) [@Mamapotomus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mamapotomus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/24 "2000-08-30T17:47:01Z")
Amdro **is** awesome. It smells REALLY bad, though. I’m definately trying the gasoline method next time. heh heh heh heh heh… here little fire ant… heh heh ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/25 "2000-08-30T17:55:48Z")
> [@](#): > > One of the great pleasures is running over a fire ant bed with the lawn mower and seeing them run around all pissed off with nothing to vent upon. Better make sure that’s a riding mower, Sauron. I’ve seen the carnage when some unsuspecting push mower owner stumbles over a bed of pissed off ants. It ain’t pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/26 "2000-08-30T18:13:44Z")
Well, either works well, but if it’s a push mower, you’d better KNOW they’re there. Otherwise, your ankles and legs wind up looking like raw hamburger. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lord\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/27 "2000-08-30T18:15:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dolores Claiborne \* > And sneaky! How do they all get on you and then say _NOW_ and all bite you at once. I don’t know how they do that either, but if you aren’t watching out, like **purplebear** said, you are covered with them and all start biting at once. Sauron, it does give some satisfaction running over them with a lawn mower just to piss them off. However, you do have to be careful because all of a sudden you have really mad fire ants all over the place. Mojo, I’ll keep that tea tree oil in mind. I often have need for some first aid. Doctor Jackson, been there, done that. Not a fun thing at all. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Tally-Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@Tally-Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tally-Ho)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135/28 "2000-08-30T19:21:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sauron \* > Well, either works well, but if it’s a push mower, you’d better KNOW they’re there. Otherwise, your ankles and legs wind up looking like raw hamburger. **sigh** I resemble that remark. (well not THAT bad, at least) I was mowing the lawn at my new house for the first time last Sunday (housing association got bitchy) and the grass was so long I didn’t see the fire ant hill until too late. They chewed me up good and signed their little death warrents. Soon, soon… (evil chuckle) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-ants-are-not-my-friends/31135.md?page=1)