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Author
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Topic: Fire Ants, Where Are They?
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starstruck
Member Posts: 588
From: Hays
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted November 21, 2009 06:17 PM
 
A friend of mine was down from Austin last weekend and commented on the lack of fire ant mounds. I wandered around a bit today and I can't find any either although he says the mowed lawns of Austin sport many. Anyone have any notions of what might be going on?
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2LabDogs
Member Posts: 17
From: United States
Registered: Dec 2008
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posted November 22, 2009 07:42 AM
The fire ants must have moved to our ranch because they're everywhere, especially after all the rain we've had. At least we haven't seen any of those Raspberry "Crazy Ants"!
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rammie01
Member Posts: 85
From: Wimberley, TX USA
Registered: Dec 2006
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posted November 22, 2009 09:43 AM
Those crazy ants ARE here and the closer you live to the city limits the more you will be experiencing them. They are literally running the fire ants out. I've watched them declare war on the fire ants in my yard and kill them. I'd rather have the fire ants back because you can control them alot easier than the crazy ants. The crazy ants don't make ant mounds and I don't know if any bait is available for them yet.
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Reddog
Member Posts: 396
From: dripping springs, tx, usa
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted November 23, 2009 10:23 AM
Fire ants should be mounding because of the rain, if nothing else. There are native fire ants as well as the imported. There is a speicies of ant that will attack the imported fire ants that is not the Crazy Raspberry ant, and I've heard nothing to make me think CRA has made it to the Hill Country.BTW, if you're buying plants at a nursery, ask them to flood the pot befroe you leave to run ants, and other pests out. Reduces the spread.
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rammie01
Member Posts: 85
From: Wimberley, TX USA
Registered: Dec 2006
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posted November 23, 2009 04:02 PM
If you don't have them yet You will. The Last time I looked SA was considered part of the Hill Country.http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Crazy-ants-swarm-in-San-Antonio/a3KSsEJE1E2i3RAbIzxL2w.cspx http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/09/16/Crazy-ants-invade-San-Antonio/UPI-47541253099493/
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Reddog
Member Posts: 396
From: dripping springs, tx, usa
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted November 24, 2009 08:55 AM
I'd suggest you get with the Extension Agent about those ants Rammie. If they are CRAs, you need to nuke them, if they are not, well that's another story.
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Reddog
Member Posts: 396
From: dripping springs, tx, usa
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted November 24, 2009 09:02 AM
While the CRAs in the Houston area ahve spread naturally, if you pay attention to the two stories, the ones in SA, were brought in. The entity responsable for bringing them to SA should bear the ultimate responsablity for getting rid of them. Almost certainly they were brought in in landscape material, just like fire ants are spread. I'll repeat, either make darn sure anything you buy is not infected, or have the nursery flood the pot to drive anything out.
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rammie01
Member Posts: 85
From: Wimberley, TX USA
Registered: Dec 2006
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posted November 24, 2009 02:07 PM
The best place to send you ant samples to is TAMU: http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/pdf/forms/AntIDform.pdf
I'll send mine off and will let you know what I have.
The CRA didn't spread naturally, they are an exotic species. http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/ants/exotic_tx.cfm
Even the so-called Texas crazy ant didn't originate here.
http://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/ants/crazy.cfmThis is a great website for info on ants.
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starstruck
Member Posts: 588
From: Hays
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted November 25, 2009 04:58 PM
Well lucky moi. The fire ants are back, guess they knew I was worried about them.
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