This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: Ants in compost

> >
> >> Shirley Lindsey wrote:

> >According to the U.S Dept. of Agriculture, there are absolutely no
> >benefits to fire ants.

     Is that the same USDA that has recommended monoculture farming and
the wholesale use of pesticides as a viable practice?  Is it the same
USDA whose inefficient inspections allowed the introduction of fire ants
in the first place?  Not casting stones, mind you, just wondering if
we're talking about the same outfit.

vivian viverito wrote:
>
> 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_.
>
     The honeybee is not native to this country, nor is the goat, sheep,
cows, horses, chickens or most of the vegetables we cultivate.  For that
matter, unless you are an Amerindian, neither are you or I.  All of us
imports have done great damage to the natives who could not compete.
I'm not decrying it, just stating that it is like that.
     Billions of dollars of taxpayer and private money has been spent
trying to stop fire ants with absolutely no effect on the ants and
untold damage to native and/or benificial species.  I fought them tooth
and toe-nail on my property for twenty years with no results.  I gave up
the battle ten years ago and other than to knock a mound down when I'm
topping my pasture, haven't committed an aggressive act toward them
since.  I have no fewer fire ants than I had before, but I also have no
more.  Some battles you can win, some you are going to lose, some are
just simply not worth getting involved in.  Wisdom is being able to tell
the difference between the three.
     Fire ants are vicious.  That is the nature of the predator.
                                Dick
References:
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index