 |
| Posted: Mon Jan 15th, 2007 05:03 pm |
|
21st Post |
Johan Steele
Life NRA,SUVCW # 48,Legion 352
|
David White wrote: Johan:
Regarding:
In the accounts of the 22 May 1863 Assault of Vicksburg there are refrences to fire ants and the torture they inflicted upon the wounded caught between the lines.
I don't doubt that ants were an issue but they were not Fire Ants, which were introduced to this country from Brazil when they came aboard ships to Mobile in the 1930s. As a kid in the late 50s and early 60s we used to have huge red and black ants here in Texas the fire ants made it here by the 70s and killed off all the colonies of those big ants. As far as I know they are extinct thanks to those illegal immigrants from Brazil that deserve extinction and are now everywhere, sort of the Kudzu of the insect world.
Thank you for the clarification; I was unaware of their illegal immigrant status. My own experiances w/ them are anything but pleasant. Though I have to thank ants for getting me out of jury duty on one occasion. Glad I knew how the Apaches used to deal w/ rapists...
|
|
Back To Top
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 15th, 2007 11:25 pm |
|
22nd Post |
Doc C
Member
|
Having grown up and lived in North La for quite some time I've seen the effects of the fire ants numerous times. You even get a free drop in golf if your ball lands in the critters nest. I'm still a silent partner for my families cattle business down there and there's nothng more deadly to a newborn calf than those little f.a's. I can't imagine the pain they inflicted on wounded soldiers in the Vicksburg and Red River Campaigns.
Doc C
|
|
Back To Top
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 16th, 2007 08:57 pm |
|
23rd Post |
Hellcat
Member
|
David White wrote:
I don't doubt that ants were an issue but they were not Fire Ants, which were introduced to this country from Brazil when they came aboard ships to Mobile in the 1930s. As a kid in the late 50s and early 60s we used to have huge red and black ants here in Texas the fire ants made it here by the 70s and killed off all the colonies of those big ants. As far as I know they are extinct thanks to those illegal immigrants from Brazil that deserve extinction and are now everywhere, sort of the Kudzu of the insect world.
David, I've found info saying that there is, or was, at least two "native" species of fire ant, though it is not as aggressive as the red imported fire ant. The tropical fire ant and the southern fire ant were already present when the black imported fire ant arrived in Mobile in 1918. The red imported fire ant arrived later in the 1930s.
Last edited on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 09:05 pm by Hellcat
|
|
Back To Top
|
| Posted: Wed Jan 17th, 2007 03:18 pm |
|
24th Post |
David White
Member
|
Hellcat:
Yep, was referring to the imported red as the black ones don't raise the pustulates like the red ones do. Here is a song from one of my favorite Texas singers who sings about those terrible varmits. BTW I understand they are adapting to cold weather and moving north so our Yankee friends can share in the pain some day.
Fire Ants
John Muzyka, Bobby Allen, & Matt Hedding
Well, me and my friends, just the other day, we decided it was time to get away,
so we went down to the lake to have some fun.
After twenty, thirty beers we began to tire, so we all crashed out around the fire,
and then ol’ Ned jumped up and he started to run.
It was really quite a sight to see, he was slappin’ himself from his head to his knees,
and then he went and pulled down his pants.
I said, “good God, Ned, what’s all the fuss,” but all he could do was yell and cuss,
and all I understood was “fire ants!”
CHORUS:
Fire ants, fire ants, it’s time for us to take a stance,
this is what we’re gonna do,
fire ants, fire ants, you’re not gonna stand a chance,
Texas declares war on you.
Well, I’d just moved into my new home so I called my friends up on the phone,
said “won’t y’all come on over for some bar-b-q,
but before we got the chance to eat, them ants had crawled all over our meat,
and to my dismay, they even got my brew.
Well, I felt so humiliated that day, I didn’t know quite what to say,
I just stood there and hung my head in shame.
You know, the way I see it, times are hard when you can’t even party in your own backyard,
and for this them Mexican fire ants are to blame. REPEAT CHORUS
Now, for all you yankees who’ll never see just how bad their sting can be,
this is the only thing that can compare:
walk barefoot on broken glass, then soak your feet in diesel gas,
and half of my pain, friend, you will share.
Now, I don’t know where the answer might lie, I just wanna see all them suckers die
and rid the Lone Star State of this disease,
but just as soon as the ants are gone, we’ll have to sit down and write another song
about them damned ol’ killer bees.
REPEAT CHORUS Last edited on Wed Jan 17th, 2007 03:26 pm by David White
|
|
Back To Top
|
| Posted: Fri Jan 19th, 2007 02:26 pm |
|
25th Post |
Widow
Member
|
David, I've never seen a fire ant or heard the song, but it's an amusing look at a serious problem.
Imagine being told to sleep on your arms (and hope they don't fall asleep). You're out there in the woods, with brush, rocks, stiff shrubs, BRIARS, holes, stumps, fallen branches and logs, what not. You finally find a comfortable spot, in the dark, and, whoops, an anthill or hornets' nest. No sleep for you, my friend.
Consider the flies, ticks, flies, fleas, flies, lice, flies, gnats, flies, mosquitoes, flies. Did I mention flies? Thousands of horses, mules, and cattle. Not to mention the latrines. Or the hospital. Or the cook tent.
In the infantry it would be easy to figure out where the cavalry had been. Just hope you don't have to march on the same road.
D'ja ever notice that in the movies, horses never poop? Or pass gas? The streets of all movie western towns are as smooth as an ironing board, no mud, no manure. Amazing.
On the banks of the Rappahannock River, I found BRIAR SNAKES. They reach out, grab you, and bite you with their giant fangs. Well, not real snakes, just long, stiff, springy stems with vicious thorns. They wrap around your ankles and untie your shoelaces. Really. Twice. Until I wised up and tied a double knot. Then a triple knot.
BRIAR SNAKES are related to SNOW SNAKES. You know, on the ski slopes. They come up out of the snow and wrap around your ankle and make you fall down, head first. At least, that's how I explained it to my laughing friends.
Bugs rule!
Double chin-grin: ---> :-))
Patty
|
|
Back To Top
|
| Posted: Fri Jan 19th, 2007 04:26 pm |
|
26th Post |
susansweet
Member
|
Patty I love your post. I will watch out for those Briar snakes if I am ever in your area.
|
|
Back To Top
|
Current time is 09:52 pm | Page:   1 2 |
|
|
|
