Florida Fire Ants

While I was painstakingly inspecting each individual plant in my garden for frost damage and signs of life, I was completely oblivious to other life that I would otherwise be specifically careful not to disturb....the fire ant!  Why in the world did the freezing temperatures affect everything in my garden except these horrible little critters that seemingly go out of their way to find every opportunity to bite me?!?!  Of course it doesn't help my situation that I'm allergic to most creepy crawlies, including this devilish species!

The fact is that the fire ant is not native to Florida, but was brought here mistakenly in the 1930's from South America when they hitched a ride with imported plants.  Now they've spread over most of the Southeast, and are currently spreading through Texas and into the arid western states.  These warriors will stop at nothing when attacking their enemy...and ANYTHING that disturbs the nest is the enemy!!!! 

Anyone who has experienced the fire ant sting understands why these tiny creatures are so feared.  Many times the first notion that something is wrong is a firey sensation in the area of the sting.  The firey sensation is followed by an intense itch and a pustule that may last up to a week, sometimes causing scarring, at the very least.  Individuals who are allergic may experience much harsher reactions, including anaphylactic shock. 

Humans are not the only targets of these fearless fighters.  They also attack ground nesting birds and rodents in addition to various crops and plant roots, making them less beneficial than more (they also feed on pests that feed on crops).

Finally, I also discovered a few not-so-fun-filled facts about the fire ant.  First, the fire ant bites down hard with it's tough madibles and then stings nonstop! Therefore, this type of ant both stings and bites.  Secondly, the armies of attacking ants consist of sterile females known as workers whose primary goals are to feed the queen and protect the nest.  Finally, a colony can grow to several thousand in just a few short months!  WOW! 

I've tried several methods of eradication including expensive commercial products that only seem to feed the ants, cayenne pepper, boiling water, etc.  I've even heard of scooping up a shovel full of ant nest and tossing on top of another ant nest...they will reportedly attack each other to the death.  I've not tried this method.  Regardless of my efforts, I still have mounds of fire ants as witnessed by the stings on my feet and scars on my forearms.  However, there is reportedly a "cure" to these horrifying creatures...a tiny fly that is a natural predator in the ant's native South America.  The fly literally lays an egg on or inside the ant that grows until the head explodes.  Pretty disgusting, but it's natures way.

The other thing the frost didn't seem to affect was the weeds in my lawn.  The legitamate grass was frost-bit but the everpresent dollar weed is as green and happy as ever.  But, that's a topic for another post and another day!