Katrina was good for NOLA. It stopped the Fire Ants

[SammyBlue]

Katrina Helps New Orleans Fight Fire Ants

By CAIN BURDEAU
Associated Press Writer
Thu May 11, 8:45 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS - Entomologists believe that Hurricane Katrina provided them with a golden opportunity to knock out, or at least squash, the fire ant population in this city.

Flood waters rid many neighborhoods of the stinging ants and on Thursday crews began spreading deadly bait in parks and along levees to kill the ant colonies and nests that did survive.

The citywide eradication plan, backed by large donations of bait by pesticide companies, also seeks to engage neighborhood groups and homeowners in the fight.

"Ants are the No. 1 pest right now — nationwide," said Claudia Riegel, an entomologist with the Mosquito and Termite Control Board, the agency that fights the swarms of bugs that find balmy New Orleans a perfect breeding ground.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060512/ap_on_sc/katrina_fighting_ants

Well, the city is levelled. . .it's a waste land. The Feds are doing nothing to bring it back to life and the Chimp uses it at a photo op.

At least the fire ants are gone!

There's a success Bush can hang his head on.

[CottonBear]

1. They'll crawl back south.

The ants crawled all the way to northeast Georgia. Fire ants were not here 20 years ago. I hate fire ants. :(

[SammyBlue]

2. I hate them too. . .we have them here in Arizona.

But that's not the point.

[CottonBear]

5. It is good that they and maybe that Formosan termite are gone from NOLA.

Unfortunately, the people are also gone. :cry:

Mr. CB is from NOLA and I used to have family there too many years ago.

[KamaAina]

12. No such luck.

With many neighborhoods still largely void of people, Riegel said Formosan termites are probably thriving with the lack of exterminators and the abundance of vacant homes for the termites to feast on.

"The termites are still here," she said. "There was talk that they might have died, but they're still here."

This year, like every year, Formosan termites are swarming with the approach of Mother's Day, and they can be seen gathering in great frenetic hordes in the glow of street lamps at dusk.

"All they need is a leaky roof and a bit of water, and we have plenty of that," Riegel said about what triggers termite infestations.

So all the Dumbass Supreme(TM) has to do is sit on his hands and do nothing, just like he's been doing, and the $$%%&^!! termites will finish the job for him. :grr:

[CottonBear]

14. Oh no! I did not know about the termite resurgence.

:cry:

[mccoyn]

3. I thought fire ants could survive flooding.

I remember hearing that the colonies form into giant rafts and can survive floods. And that they were very dangereous if you ran into one of these rafts.

[roguevalley]

4. someone pulled up some stuff from a drowned piece of land

there and found fire ants that were still alive after eight or so months. they are amazing. and scary.

[Coexist]

6. Fire Ants are dangerous.

I live in the Tampa area - many people have deadly reactions to them.

Even those who don't - they are very aggressive. I get bitten every weekend at the ball field. They leave these painful, itchy bites that last for days.

My son was sitting with his hands in the grass, behind him. Several fire ants were crawling on his hands, unbeknown st to him. When he saw them, he began swatting at them - they send out some type of signal, and they all bite at once. His hand swelled up to twice its size - the pediatrician brought all the nurses in to see, it was so huge.

They actually chase you, not like black ants. If you step on the top of their nest, they swarm out and chase you down. I do not like them and they are nearly impossible to get rid of.

[Asgaya Dihi]

8. Nematodes might help

If you use a lot of chemicals on your lawn they won't work well, but I live in central Texas and cut the fleas and fire ants down quite a bit with beneficial nematodes. Fire ants are nasty buggers, when my youngest was two or three he managed to sit right on a nest with him covered in mellon juice. Not a happy kid at the time.

[Coexist]

10. thank you for that

I will look into it.

[sutz12]

7. Unfortunately....

It was necessary to destroy the village in order to save it. - apochryphal radio call, Viet Nam.

[Captain Hilts]

9. Bush wants us to return to the moon and we've got this problem?

I hear these things are TERRIBLE.

[slackmaster]

11. They should declare NO an "Ant-Free City" so they'll never come back

:dunce:

[lastliberalintexas]

13. The city is not a "wasteland"

Geez. The city was devastated by the storm, there are some areas that are still extremely damaged, there is environmental cleanup left to do and of course much rebuilding needed. But the city is NOT a wasteland. To call it such makes it that much easier for most Americans to then say "Well screw it, it shouldn't be rebuilt if it's completely gone."

New Orleans is down but not out.



And if Katrina really did run the little buggers off, it's only temporary. They'll be baaaaaack, just as they returned to my area after Rita. Unfortunately.