Another Crisis!!

13 years ago

Hello Everyone, I know this is not the correct forum for this question but, I thought I'd ask anyway. Is there an entomologist out there!! Late this afternoon, I was picking some cherry tomatoes on our stone patio and I looked down and there were literally hundred and hundreds of ants running down the length of a hose that was laying on the ground. These guys were 3/4 red and I've never seen anything like them before, and they were moving really fast and looked like they meant business! I had to wait about an hour for my husband to come home and when he did, he found the remains of various unsavory sprays in the garage and proceeded to exterminate them or most of them at least! Does anyone think these are those fire ants that people talk about down South? I'm in coastal MA and this year it's been like we were living in VA!! Any comments would again,be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Does anyone recognize these guys? Sorry I couldn't get better pictures as they were really moving! Please don't tell me those black things at their rear are egg sacks!!....and they're looking for a place to lay them!!
{{gwi:421570}}From FLAMING PEACOCK
{{gwi:421574}}From FLAMING PEACOCK

Donna

Comments (4)

npublici
13 years ago
I haven't seen an ant that looked even nearly like that,since I was in South east Asia.
It doesn't look much like the fire ants I have seen,and we have two kinds and lots of them. If you find a large mound,instead of the usual little ant hills,you could have fire ants. They are a tropical ant, and heretofore, I haven't heard of them being very far north.
Del
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
13 years ago
Donna,
The Orkin site might help. They also have an ant ID page...these did look close to fire ants. As Del said (and I live in TX so I know) fire ants will build a good size mound. YUK and sorry!
Kristi

Here is a link that might be useful: Orkin fire ant site
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dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
Original Author
13 years ago
Kristi, Thanks for the site, YUK is right, these guys were right outside out bedroom on a very old stone patio, they're probably living under it! We'll have to look for the mound and call someone for help if we find it!! Always something isn't it!!

Donna
chazparas
13 years ago
Donna, this week must have been the week these ants are on the move in MA! My driveway had thousands, yep thousands of them running wild in it yesterday. They were about 20 feet from the house and heading away from it so I wasn't too worried. I don't think they are fire ants, at least not the same kind I had when I lived in Fl. however the buggers did bite! not sting like fireants but actually bite! I let them be as they weren't near the house, went out for dinner and by the time I came home they were gone.