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Anyone Else Notice Fewer Fire Ants This Year?

David Nunn
I saw something in the news about fewer honey bees this year, but I can't really attest to that, except that the hive that was in my neighbor's shed is no longer active. I don't know if they died, or moved, or if my neighbor did something to them.

What I have noticed is A LOT fewer fire ant mounds on my place. I figured with all the rain we had earlier in the summer, we would be overrun by fire ants, but it isn't so. I carry a shaker bottle of Orthene with me when I mow, so I can dose mounds as I find them, but last time I mowed, I found one mound. ONE.

I am not complaining, mind you. It's only an observation. I can live forever without seeing another fire ant, but I wonder what happened to them, and if it was the same thing that got the bees.
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Comments

16 comments

Date Votes
  • select-fire
    It has been dry here in SC and I haven't seen any mounds this year. Maybe they went to China. Sure hope so. Or maybe they are just coming back stronger next year. No misquito's neither.
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  • pitbud5
    Maybe but Oklahoma sure hasn't had a lack of spiders
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  • Permanently deleted user
    Something I noticed was that the bees seem to be a lot more aggressive this year...not sure about the fire ants...don't have them up here.
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  • select-fire
    quote:Originally posted by ECC
    Something I noticed was that the bees seem to be a lot more aggressive this year...not sure about the fire ants...don't have them up here.

    I can ship you some next year..[}:)][}:)]
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  • Permanently deleted user
    quote:Originally posted by select-fire
    quote:Originally posted by ECC
    Something I noticed was that the bees seem to be a lot more aggressive this year...not sure about the fire ants...don't have them up here.

    I can ship you some next year..[}:)][}:)]


    No thanks Select! That is one thing I do not miss about the south![:D]
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  • phideaux4886
    No net loss in fire ants, actually, I'd say there are more ants this year.
    Mosquitoes have not been as bad this year.
    DSM
    BTW, I made 500 posts![:D]
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  • swamp_thing
    We still have plenty to go around here in Georgia. If you figure out what caused your lack of them, spread the word. I bet there would be a high demand for whatever it was.[;)]
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  • Permanently deleted user
    I have not seen 1 fire ant this year.

    But we sure got our share of those little black sugar ants! They are all over!

    I talked with an extermanator and a few neighbors and I guess it's because we are so dry that they are looking for water.

    I have had to start useing some exterminator strength spray (bought from Tracktor Supply) all around my house about every 2 weeks to control them or we start seeing them in the house (allways around the sinks and tubs, as per the looking for water).

    Reminds me I need to spray again today![:(]

    Damn things drive me nuts!
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  • tccox
    GRD, Those dang sugar ants are driving me crazy. They are all over the house. I now make daily inspection with spray can. They are in bathroom around sink, in kitchen around sink, in my computer room, which is by bathroom, in my pantry, outside in the hummingbird feeder.

    There are practically no fireant mounds outside since we have so little rain but two days ago I was in pantry and saw superhighway of fireants on the wall. Traced them to box of cornbread muffin mix. Those suckers had actually carried half the contents away. The trail went into the ceiling so lord knows where from there. I guess I need to get under house and saturate ground with insecticide. Tom
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  • swamp_thing
    About three weeks ago the fire ants decided to come into our house as well. They were like a large army and in a matter of hours went from not there to possibly a thousand by the time we saw them. Needless to say I went into an immediate seek and destroy mission inside, followed by a very thorough saturation of insecticide under the house. Haven't seen anymore inside, so I think I won for now. I hate the damn things. swamp_thing
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  • Txs
    Maybe He honored my request. [:D]
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  • David Nunn
    I can understand them not being seen so much in locations that have been dry, but we have had a lot of rain this year, so I figured we would be overrun with the pesky devils. The past two summers were dry, and the ants went deep into the earth, but I still found more ants last year than this.
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  • swamp_thing
    Geez Txs, I thought you would go for the fleas of a thousand camels thing.[:D]
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  • TANK78Z
    here in central fla. there has been all types of ants in fairly large numbers, sugar,fire, and others. have had to spray for them several extra times this year. the number fire ants has been slightly higher around my community, and very agressive, i have the bites on my feet to prove it. it had been a very dry year up to a month ago,now we are getting our normal rain pattern back, it does not seem to bother them either way. BOB
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  • competentone
    quote:Originally posted by swamp_thing
    About three weeks ago the fire ants decided to come into our house as well. They were like a large army and in a matter of hours went from not there to possibly a thousand by the time we saw them. Needless to say I went into an immediate seek and destroy mission inside, followed by a very thorough saturation of insecticide under the house. Haven't seen anymore inside, so I think I won for now. I hate the damn things. swamp_thing


    One of the primary foods fire ants eat is termites. If you have fire ants inside or have them building their mounds up against a structure, odds are you have an active termite colony under/in the structure.
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  • phillip
    Yep, Not near as many.
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