Beware the Fire Ants After a Flood
As if the property damage during flooding isn't bad enough, there is another, more insidious, danger-fire ants. Yes, red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, a prolific pest throughout southeastern Texas and the region.
At some point or another, most people who live in the southern United States have experienced the painful stings of these creatures while mowing yards, cleaning debris, raking leaves, moving trash cans and other affairs of everyday living. Now imagine a floating mass of these ants aggravating the already bad situation following flooding.
It's not that fire ants are aquatic by nature. But they are quite adept at evacuating a flooded nest to ensure the colony's survival.
According to Dr. Robert Puckett, assistant professor and extension entomologist at Texas A&M University in College Station, fire ants base their decision to flee their nest on the height of the water level inside their tunnels.
"As the water levels rise during and after flooding, water percolates down through the tunnels of the nest," Puckett said. "As the water collects in the tunnels, the ants gather the brood and move up, staying above the waterline inside the tunnels. By the time water covers the mound and the tunnels are flooded, the ants have moved up and out of the nest, locking legs together and forming a floating mass of fire ants, called a raft."
Fire ant rafts can look like ribbons, a mat or an actual "ball" of ants floating on the water containing the entire colony - worker ants, eggs, larvae, pupae, winged males and females and queen ants. These rafts of fire ants float until they come into contact with something to adhere to such as a tree, a mailbox, a garage, a house, etc. And that's when the danger comes, when people come into contact with the ants.
"Fire ants are social insects," Puckett said. "They tend to be hard-wired to defensively react when they are challenged. If people encounter a raft that has to come to rest, they should leave it alone."
As the floodwaters recede, the surviving fire ants are attracted to anything that might give them shelter until a mound can be re-established in the soil.
"This means debris piles from the floodwaters or piles of items from flooded homes are potential nesting sites for fire ants," Puckett said. "Be aware that fire ants can be under anything."
So is there anything people can do to minimize an unfortunate encounter with fire ants following a flood?
Here are a few tips:
Avoid floating rafts of fire ants during flooding and don't stick your hands, legs or other objects into these rafts should you encounter one.
Wear protective clothing, such as rubber boots, rain gear and cuffed gloves, that can help prevent ants from reaching your skin when working in floodwater.
When cleaning up debris in a yard, pay attention to what is on, under or in it, especially if the debris has been sitting in one area for several days.
If water has gotten into your home, be aware that fire ants love to get under furniture, carpet strips and old wood to re-establish their colony.
If using shovels or other tools, spread talcum or baby powder on the handle. Fire ants have difficulty climbing onto vertical surfaces dusted with talcum powder unless the surface gets wet or the powder is rubbed off.
From: Chron
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