Fire Ants Kill Winter Texan in the RGV
http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/Swarm-of-Fire-Ants-Attack-Winter-Texan/31933144
Forum Discussion
BTW: fire ants are not only found in the Southern US. They are found all along the Maine coast, and are now invading Southern British Columbia, Canada.
The specie is European fire ant (Myrmica rubra). They sting in the same way as the fire ants found down south: leaving a huge inflamation (up to 4 inch diameter welt) and excruciating pain for up to several hours.
The Maine colonies have been found at least once about 20 miles inland, and the inland colonies can survive 2 northeast winters (these things can handle brutal cold, for at least several winters). Remember, coastal Maine is much more temperate than its interior over winter (same as coastal British Columbia, but a bit colder).
When I worked (and, lived) in Honduras in a region called The Mosquito Coast, we had ants called "bullet ants", about 1 inch long (Paraponera clavata). These things carry poneratoxin. Getting stung by one is so painful, it is often compared with getting shot with a 9mm (on a scale of pain 1-10, it is about 9.8). Your entire body will wreath in pain for at least 24 hours, often you will lose consciousness. I used to get them in my tent often, when out mapping in the vast jungles of this region.
The specie is European fire ant (Myrmica rubra). They sting in the same way as the fire ants found down south: leaving a huge inflamation (up to 4 inch diameter welt) and excruciating pain for up to several hours.
The Maine colonies have been found at least once about 20 miles inland, and the inland colonies can survive 2 northeast winters (these things can handle brutal cold, for at least several winters). Remember, coastal Maine is much more temperate than its interior over winter (same as coastal British Columbia, but a bit colder).
When I worked (and, lived) in Honduras in a region called The Mosquito Coast, we had ants called "bullet ants", about 1 inch long (Paraponera clavata). These things carry poneratoxin. Getting stung by one is so painful, it is often compared with getting shot with a 9mm (on a scale of pain 1-10, it is about 9.8). Your entire body will wreath in pain for at least 24 hours, often you will lose consciousness. I used to get them in my tent often, when out mapping in the vast jungles of this region.
