Ingeborg Foco on mon 11 nov 02
Leland,
I recently moved from the Portland/Vancouver area to SW Florida. Believe
me, you have no idea what fire ants are like until you live with them.
There is nothing like it in Oregon. They make yellow jackets look like
pesky flies!
Anyone that thinks "feeding" them is the nice thing to do obviously doesn't
know a thing about fire ants.....sorry Phil. Most of the fire ants down
south are not the native variety and they are unbelievably aggressive. They
are overrunning the native variety and have no natural predators. They bite
for no reason and are working their way west. So one of these days Phil you
can be feeding them.
Being a firm believer in conducting life with the environment and its
creatures in mind, I have removed large snakes (very carefully) that
slithered into my studio and gently placed them outside not knowing if they
were poisonous. I promptly bought a book on poisonous snakes for this area.
I clean up lizard poop on a daily basis and remove their eggs to a safer
place. I don't kill spiders that are in my environment...simply pick them
up and move them outdoors. You get the idea.
Fire ants however, are a different story. I can't walk from my brick studio
parking lot without being bitten. They are everywhere and often the mound
is not visible. They seem to be around and under each plant or weed. It
almost seems like a hopeless situation. I read where anything the queen is
fed is eaten by tasters first. Which would mean you need a delay reaction
in whatever poison you use. I personally think they just move to another
location....usually not far away and the queen lives.
For a bite remedy I have found that Peppermint essential oil works the best.
If you apply it immediately after being bitten it dramatically lessons the
pain and shortens the entire infection process. Those nights that you wake
up in agony, rub a small amount on the affected areas and after a few
minutes the pain subsides. I have little bottles everywhere...at the
studio, next to my bed, in the car and so forth. You can purchase essential
oils at most health food stores and a lot of grocery stores carry these
products as well. Since moving down here, Peppermint seems to have become my
perfume of choice:)
Ingeborg
the Potter's Workshop & Gallery
P.O. Box 510
3058 Stringfellow Road
St. James City, Florida 33956
239-283-2775
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