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Re: Ants in compost

Hey y'all,
        I'm with Shirley.  Fire ants are not native to our habitat, and they
do real damage to natives who can't compete.  And I'd rather be bitten by a
dog than a fire ant, and I'm not that sensitive to the venom.
        As for the original compost question, since the ants are not fire
ants, whether the fire ants should stay or go is moot.
        It would be instructive if anyone knows how to get rid of these
pests without using some horrible poison, and without having to interact
with them too closely.  They are _vicious_.

At 11:00 AM 2/6/97 -0500, you wrote:
>On Thu, 6 Feb 1997, Dick Russell wrote:
>
>> Shirley Lindsey wrote:
>> >
>> > I think when you've been bitten a few times by those pests, you will
>> > change your mind about them. Here in the South, they are a major problem.
>> >
>> Shirley,
>>      I've got to disagree.  I have been bitten by fire ants.  I've also
>> been stung by honey bees, kicked by horses, bitten by dogs and dumped by
>> women.  I hold no animosity because, in each case, their benifits
>> outweigh any temporary pain.
>>                              Dick
>>                          sitstay@hoss.rouge.net
>According to the U.S Dept. of Agriculture, there are absolutely no
>benefits to fire ants.
>These things can produce scars that last for years, they can cause
>allergic reactions in those who are sensitive, and, if sufficient numbers
>attack, can kill a small animal. This has happened to new-born calves
>born in pastures. Also, when it rains, the fire ants can be washed into
>farm ponds, the fish will eat them, and the ant will sting from the
>inside and the fish will die.
>Yes, they eat fleas, but they also eat beneficial insects such as ladybugs.
>Fire ants are bad, bad, bad---kill'em!
>
>Shirley Lindsey                                 slindsey@datasys.net
>Valdosta, GA
>zone 8
>
>


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Vivian Viverito                         (404) 894-7192
Research Engineer                       (404) 894-7080  Fax
Georgia Tech Research Institute
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