jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 8, 2016 10:44:24 GMT -5
Insects are probably #1 killer on mother earth @rockinrick.
Often due to allergic reactions. Scorpions known for obnoxious venoms.
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Post by krazydiamond on May 8, 2016 14:14:25 GMT -5
i got stung/bit by one fireant on the little toe, thought my foot was going to explode. nasty little buggers.
KD
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on May 8, 2016 15:19:39 GMT -5
i got stung/bit by one fireant on the little toe, thought my foot was going to explode. nasty little buggers. KD I can get stung by 2 dozen, no effect other than bite marks. Have been stung by 40 plus bees or wasps at one time, little effect. Allergic to very little. A Florida deer fly blows me up like a balloon. Minor bite, painless. You never know what reaction a person will have. This little guy, effects no one in my family or friends. go figure  |
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
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Post by Sabre52 on May 9, 2016 20:25:42 GMT -5
Man, those deer flies can pack a punch. Hate them boogers and they can really make your horse jump too. Hard to chose between the striped bark scorpions and the fire ants here in Texas. To me, scorpion hurts more but gone in a day. Fire ants itch like heck for days and days and are really easily infected if you scratch them. Leave scars that last about a year too. Our giant red Polistes wasps are a trip too. Couple of stings from them can spoil your whole week....Mel
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 9, 2016 20:46:40 GMT -5
Man, those deer flies can pack a punch. Hate them boogers and they can really make your horse jump too. Hard to chose between the striped bark scorpions and the fire ants here in Texas. To me, scorpion hurts more but gone in a day. Fire ants itch like heck for days and days and are really easily infected if you scratch them. Leave scars that last about a year too. Our giant red Polistes wasps are a trip too. Couple of stings from them can spoil your whole week....Mel Polistes to be feared, that is one sharp sting. Get several bites in one area and it feels like a long lasting deep bruise. Worst long term painful bite was a (Florida)harvester ant. Not so aggressive, but that damn bite. Ever heard of them ? Florida saw palmettos - Polistes build nests on the bottom side of the fronds. Many nests, they are obnoxious to travel thru as is. But those red wasps are much bigger concern |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2016 21:18:38 GMT -5
If someone has never experienced fireants there is no way they can understand them...no way. These are deadly for young and old...human or non-human...and can seriously injure healthy adults. They're killers and will eradicate native species quickly...numerous queens per colony...major species propagation...heavy broadcast poisons about the only way to knock them out...and they will build up to the edge of the treated area. Grits, boiling water, blah, blah, blah poured on the mounds...they think they're being served breakfast. Spot treatment with poisons often simply encourage them to move the colony over a few feet. Nests go DEEP into the ground...10+ feet. Fireants love to move into outside A/C units and shut them by building earthen nests around the coils/compressors and shorting out points, etc.,. We had this happen just last year on our geothermal system...massive colony.  Anybody ran into crazy ants, Paratrechina longicornis? Apparently very attracted to "electrical" appliances/wiring...very aggressive colonizers. Hmmm... I wonder what would happen if you lit an above-ground fire ant colony on fire. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2016 21:22:13 GMT -5
Georgia very strict about shipping potted nursery stock across our state line. Can confirm. |
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on May 14, 2016 7:03:42 GMT -5
If someone has never experienced fireants there is no way they can understand them...no way. These are deadly for young and old...human or non-human...and can seriously injure healthy adults. They're killers and will eradicate native species quickly...numerous queens per colony...major species propagation...heavy broadcast poisons about the only way to knock them out...and they will build up to the edge of the treated area. Grits, boiling water, blah, blah, blah poured on the mounds...they think they're being served breakfast. Spot treatment with poisons often simply encourage them to move the colony over a few feet. Nests go DEEP into the ground...10+ feet. Fireants love to move into outside A/C units and shut them by building earthen nests around the coils/compressors and shorting out points, etc.,. We had this happen just last year on our geothermal system...massive colony. Anybody ran into crazy ants, Paratrechina longicornis? Apparently very attracted to "electrical" appliances/wiring...very aggressive colonizers. Hmmm... I wonder what would happen if you lit an above-ground fire ant colony on fire. It'll just make'em mad. Remember...we're talking about FIREants.  |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 14, 2016 8:10:25 GMT -5
Have been enjoying the fire ant stories.
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Sabre52
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Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on May 14, 2016 11:42:23 GMT -5
Harvester ants of some species have one of the most severe stings in the hymenoptera group. The harvesters you find in Arizona are so toxic that five or ten stings can kill an animal as large as a ground squirrel. A guy named Schmidt made a pain scale/index for insect stings, rates 0-4. Fire Ant for example is a 1.2, Honey bee/yellowjacket 2.0, Red Harvester ant is a 3.0. Schmidt describes it as being unrelenting, like someone is using a drill to remove your ingrown toenail *L*. Bullet Ant and Tarantula Hawk wasp are 4.0, high as you can get. I've experienced the hawk wasp. Schmidt's descripton is: Blindingly fierce, shockingly electric. Like someone has dropped an electric hair drier into your bubble bath but pain only lasts a few minutes ( bullet ant lasts hours and hours). I had severe swelling with the hawk wasp but that must have been an allergic reaction cause most folks apparently don't. I rate that one as a whole lot of "no fun". Worst sting I've experienced he rates as only a 3.0 and that was a big red velvet ant. We called them "cow killers" when I was a kid. Extremely painful and lasts awhile too. If I had a choice, I'd take the hawk wasp.....Mel
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2016 12:52:38 GMT -5
Harvester ants of some species have one of the most severe stings in the hymenoptera group. The harvesters you find in Arizona are so toxic that five or ten stings can kill an animal as large as a ground squirrel. A guy named Schmidt made a pain scale/index for insect stings, rates 0-4. Fire Ant for example is a 1.2, Honey bee/yellowjacket 2.0, Red Harvester ant is a 3.0. Schmidt describes it as being unrelenting, like someone is using a drill to remove your ingrown toenail *L*. Bullet Ant and Tarantula Hawk wasp are 4.0, high as you can get. I've experienced the hawk wasp. Schmidt's descripton is: Blindingly fierce, shockingly electric. Like someone has dropped an electric hair drier into your bubble bath but pain only lasts a few minutes ( bullet ant lasts hours and hours). I had severe swelling with the hawk wasp but that must have been an allergic reaction cause most folks apparently don't. I rate that one as a whole lot of "no fun". Worst sting I've experienced he rates as only a 3.0 and that was a big red velvet ant. We called them "cow killers" when I was a kid. Extremely painful and lasts awhile too. If I had a choice, I'd take the hawk wasp.....Mel Five yellow jacket stings to the 'nads qualifies as 10 on the Schmidt scale. In my estimation, that is. FWIW, always check the underside of the seat when using an outhouse in the desert.... Ruined an otherwise beautiful day of hunting snow geese. |
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on May 14, 2016 13:08:04 GMT -5
Yowzaa!!! Guess that will teach you to look before ya squat. Guess them yallerjackets were insulted when you waved yore nads at them *L*....Mel
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 14, 2016 15:28:26 GMT -5
Harvester ants of some species have one of the most severe stings in the hymenoptera group. The harvesters you find in Arizona are so toxic that five or ten stings can kill an animal as large as a ground squirrel. A guy named Schmidt made a pain scale/index for insect stings, rates 0-4. Fire Ant for example is a 1.2, Honey bee/yellowjacket 2.0, Red Harvester ant is a 3.0. Schmidt describes it as being unrelenting, like someone is using a drill to remove your ingrown toenail *L*. Bullet Ant and Tarantula Hawk wasp are 4.0, high as you can get. I've experienced the hawk wasp. Schmidt's descripton is: Blindingly fierce, shockingly electric. Like someone has dropped an electric hair drier into your bubble bath but pain only lasts a few minutes ( bullet ant lasts hours and hours). I had severe swelling with the hawk wasp but that must have been an allergic reaction cause most folks apparently don't. I rate that one as a whole lot of "no fun". Worst sting I've experienced he rates as only a 3.0 and that was a big red velvet ant. We called them "cow killers" when I was a kid. Extremely painful and lasts awhile too. If I had a choice, I'd take the hawk wasp.....Mel Five yellow jacket stings to the 'nads qualifies as 10 on the Schmidt scale. In my estimation, that is. FWIW, always check the underside of the seat when using an outhouse in the desert.... Ruined an otherwise beautiful day of hunting snow geese. Where, not what, has tremendous bearing. Not funny but lol sorry. Harvester ants on Amelia Island Florida are a consistent light amber colored head to stinger. Tiny ground mounds with big opening. Sting seems to increase in pain for days. And no one w/out pain killers that gets stung is going to sleep due to the extreme aching sensation for 5-7 days. Getting stung and it being very painful is one thing, long term pain quite another. The jungle guide in Peru showed us a tree and some vine to avoid bullet ants. He basically said your jungle adventure would be done if you got stung by a bullet ant. Velvets referred to as cow killers here also. |
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Intheswamp
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Post by Intheswamp on May 14, 2016 20:27:49 GMT -5
Cow killers = wingless wasps
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on May 14, 2016 21:46:53 GMT -5
Yep, velvet ants are wingless female wasps. The males have velvet too but are winged. Adults are nectar feeders but they lay eggs in the nests of ground nesting bees and wasps and their larvae are external parasites of those species. Ants in name only....Mel
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 15, 2016 8:52:33 GMT -5
Yep, velvet ants are wingless female wasps. The males have velvet too but are winged. Adults are nectar feeders but they lay eggs in the nests of ground nesting bees and wasps and their larvae are external parasites of those species. Ants in name only....Mel I mentioned a mass migration of Allegheny ants Mel. Stings negligible. They love bamboo groves. If you flip a black squat nursery pot upside down within 100 yards of a bamboo grove in the sun they will use it for an incubator. They fill the pot up with a mix of 60-70% bamboo leaves and soil in short order. Thousands of eggs. They are attracted to the hot houses in winter. It is a south facing slope and they are masters at using solar energy. Question for you and @shotgunner rockpickerforever, was thinking about flipping 3-4 foot squat pots upside down in the greenhouse to attract them and raise Texas Horned Toads. The fence lizard population has gone off the chart since those ant arrived 6 years ago. Sitting in their paths and about letting the ants walk in their mouth. I know Horned Lizards need formic acid(from ants).They are native to a colder panhandle of Texas. i was going to let them free range about the 3 acres the Allegheny's took over. I think their need for an ant diet makes them tricky for captivity. They are expensive. Maybe they could be raised to restock their native area. Guessing declining ant populations have reduced their numbers. Any thoughts appreciated. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2016 10:01:03 GMT -5
Yep, velvet ants are wingless female wasps. The males have velvet too but are winged. Adults are nectar feeders but they lay eggs in the nests of ground nesting bees and wasps and their larvae are external parasites of those species. Ants in name only....Mel I mentioned a mass migration of Allegheny ants Mel. Stings negligible. They love bamboo groves. If you flip a black squat nursery pot upside down within 100 yards of a bamboo grove in the sun they will use it for an incubator. They fill the pot up with a mix of 60-70% bamboo leaves and soil in short order. Thousands of eggs. They are attracted to the hot houses in winter. It is a south facing slope and they are masters at using solar energy. Question for you and @shotgunner rockpickerforever, was thinking about flipping 3-4 foot squat pots upside down in the greenhouse to attract them and raise Texas Horned Toads. The fence lizard population has gone off the chart since those ant arrived 6 years ago. Sitting in their paths and about letting the ants walk in their mouth. I know Horned Lizards need formic acid(from ants).They are native to a colder panhandle of Texas. i was going to let them free range about the 3 acres the Allegheny's took over. I think their need for an ant diet makes them tricky for captivity. They are expensive. Maybe they could be raised to restock their native area. Guessing declining ant populations have reduced their numbers. Any thoughts appreciated. They are already in Georgia. srelherp.uga.edu/lizards/phrcor.htm |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on May 15, 2016 10:34:05 GMT -5
I mentioned a mass migration of Allegheny ants Mel. Stings negligible. They love bamboo groves. If you flip a black squat nursery pot upside down within 100 yards of a bamboo grove in the sun they will use it for an incubator. They fill the pot up with a mix of 60-70% bamboo leaves and soil in short order. Thousands of eggs. They are attracted to the hot houses in winter. It is a south facing slope and they are masters at using solar energy. Question for you and @shotgunner rockpickerforever, was thinking about flipping 3-4 foot squat pots upside down in the greenhouse to attract them and raise Texas Horned Toads. The fence lizard population has gone off the chart since those ant arrived 6 years ago. Sitting in their paths and about letting the ants walk in their mouth. I know Horned Lizards need formic acid(from ants).They are native to a colder panhandle of Texas. i was going to let them free range about the 3 acres the Allegheny's took over. I think their need for an ant diet makes them tricky for captivity. They are expensive. Maybe they could be raised to restock their native area. Guessing declining ant populations have reduced their numbers. Any thoughts appreciated. They are already in Georgia. srelherp.uga.edu/lizards/phrcor.htmThanks and way cool Scott, any business advise. Hell, I love them. Would like to infiltrate the farm w/them. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2016 10:41:12 GMT -5
First you need a couple dozen babies. Then they have to eat that species of any. Then when they are established adults, collect the gravid females. Get the eggs, hatch them, keep some back for future breeders and sell the rest. Germany and Japan likely pay $1500ea for legal captive hatched specimens.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2016 10:42:50 GMT -5
Horned lizards fragile.
I think a better biz for you is wasabi horseradish. Fresh tubers sell readily to high end sushi bars.
Your warm weather and fresh clean water will grow it fast.
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