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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

ANTS IN THE TIRES AND SKUNKS ON THE TRAIL



I was roaming around on one of the trails recently, when I heard some noise in the underbrush.  Shortly thereafter, I got the distinct smell of skunk.  No mistaking that smell!  As I rounded the corner, I saw this tuft of hair...black and white hair.



I looked down and saw another tuft.  Now 2nd Family does not have a black and white dog, so I'm assuming that there was a skunk fight of some sort nearby.  I certainly did NOT stick around to see who won or lost that fight.

It's amazing how fast fire ants can build a nest and/or take over.  I pulled the cover off the zen machine to check on things and discovered this; a fire ant mound had built up next to the tire!  They had even carried dirt up into the tire treads.  Of course, what happened first?  I pulled off the elastic cover as usual, it snapped back and flung fire ants all over everything.  Had to put it in neutral, push it out and then get the broom and water hose to get them off.  I used a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice poured over the mound to kill them while I did other things.  After a couple of hours, there was no sign of fire ant activity.  Good riddance.
I hate fire ants.

11 comments:

  1. mixture of vinegar and lemon juice? Do tell! I'm allergic and would love to have an alternative to the chemical/granule we apply to the lawn.

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    1. Hello! Equal parts lemon juice and vinegar. I put it into a pitcher with a pour spout and I just pour it right down the hole, slowly, and I sprayed some on the wheel to get the stragglers, ha. I have used this for a couple years now and it seems to work for me.

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  2. gross...fire aunts!!! glad you got them!

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  3. fire aunts ? the mind boggles - ha ha

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  4. I hope those fire ants stay in Texas, Yikes!!!

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    1. They are mean, they just get on you and literally start biting. Leaving little pimple like bumps where they bite.

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  5. 1st Man,

    I had no idea using vinegar and lemon juice would take care of this problem. What is the ratio in order to mix the combination??

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    1. I should make a post about it. I think I will. It's been equal parts for me. I think I poured about 2 cups on this one because it was so large. I poured slowly just down the main hole and then of course some just runs over the rest of the hill. It worked after about an hour or two they were all dead, a few stragglers roaming around but it usually kills the queen and that's the most important part. Hope it helps!

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  6. I would love to hear more about using lemon juice and vinegar to kill fire ants. Have you used it the garden?

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