Flying Ant Day 2009

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  • edited June 2009
    They have yet to swarm in Kent, I love watching them coming out the ground and trying to find a blade of grass sturdy enough for launch. My mum always dealt with an ant influx with the old kettle of boiling water down the cracks. And I did ask her, mum that must really hurt them.... "Can you hear them screaming?" she'd always say, a vicious glint playing about her eyes. And I never could.
  • edited June 2009
    They have yet to swarm in Kent, I love watching them coming out the ground and trying to find a blade of grass sturdy enough for launch. My mum always dealt with an ant influx with the old kettle of boiling water down the cracks. And I did ask her, mum that must really hurt them.... "Can you hear them screaming?" she'd always say, a vicious glint playing about her eyes. And I never could.

    I've never had a problem with being one of the dominant species on this planet.

    Did you know that animal rights group PETA sent out a press release claiming disappointment in Obama because he killed a fly?
  • edited June 2009
    XTM of TMG wrote: »
    Heh, when someone mentioned Nippon I first thought it was a piss-take, 'cos we got that chocolate snack called "Nippon" which I mistook for an international brand.

    Funny name for either a snack or a bug killer ... I wonder what a Japanese person would say when they see it in a shop.

    No it's definitly real, and even has Japanese style writing

    http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0048469



    3566038141_d428049103.jpg
  • edited June 2009
    NickH wrote: »
    I've never had a problem with being one of the dominant species on this planet.

    Did you know that animal rights group PETA sent out a press release claiming disappointment in Obama because he killed a fly?

    There's a family of religious loons live up my old street back home, one of my neighbours was trimming her garden down, and spraying certain things on her plants to get rid of pests.

    The woman from the family gave her a lecture about how she was going to hell for killing gods creatures.
    Every night is curry night!
  • edited June 2009
    The woman from the family gave her a lecture about how she was going to hell for killing gods creatures.

    That's not what it says in the Bible ... as per Genesis 1:26, 28 and then Gen 9:2,3 them there Humans reign over them there aminals.

    But I guess each religious acorn reads it differently.
  • edited June 2009
    ZnorXman wrote: »
    That's not what it says in the Bible ... as per Genesis 1:26, 28 and then Gen 9:2,3 them there Humans reign over them there aminals.

    But I guess each religious acorn reads it differently.

    In my version it just says,

    Eroticus 6:2:2 "And the Znorky shall cast a shadow upon the world... And in his smothering embrace, all Mans earthly ferrets shall be emptied."
  • edited June 2009
    I was just thinking I've not seen any flying ants recently, and now I find them swarming out of the computer room floor. Mr. Dyson seems to be eradicating their scouts, but I think something more severe is required to finish off the rest of them.

    I remember a couple of years ago they were swarming inside the conservatory. I vacuumed them up, then noticed they were coming out of the ground outside. I hosed the ones on the outside walls down, then a single kettle full of boiling water down their hole and that seemed to kill them all off. I was well pleased. I always find it satisfying to destroy an ant colony for revenge after all the times those little buggers have killed me during my adventures in Antchester.
  • edited June 2009
    A few years ago there was a swarm of ladybirds in Weston-super-Mare.

    I am currently nursing numerous bites from midges. Our moors have the same problem that Scottish moors have - swarms of nasty biting midges. Usually there's enough wind to discourage them, but it was a nice calm day so I went to fly my RC helicopter, and nearly crashed due to midge induced distractions. I think I prefer battling with the wind.

    When I lived in Houston, my apartment got a fire-ant infestation. I was sitting on the sofa, and felt things biting me and looked down to find thousands of the bastards on my foot. I got some of those insect trap things that contain fipronil - an insect specific nerve agent (it's in flea treatments for cats and dogs too, because the treatment won't affect the cat or dog, but a deadly neurotoxin to the fleas, and so your pet spreads it around their environment as well thus eradicating flea eggs from bedding etc). Anyway the little bastards went in these things and spread it around the rest of their nest and a couple of days later, all were gone.

    Houston was horrible for bugs. Roaches (huge), mosquitoes (huge, and especially numerous/ravenous after any significant wet weather), fire ants, water mocassins, rattlesnakes, black widows, hornets - and the bigger stuff, like raccoons which may have looked cute, but who would raid your bins. I didn't care much for the wildlife there. The armadillos were OK, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. I'm sure Beanz knows what I mean about the bastard fire-ants....

    Oh and whenever we went camping in early summer, then came the bombardment by june bugs. Massive numbers of the bastards. They were harmless but you'd just get pelted by them in the evenings.
  • edited June 2009
    Erugh Hornets.... shudder.
    Calling all ASCII Art Architects Visit the WOS Wall of Text and contribute: https://www.yourworldoftext.com/wos
  • edited June 2009
    Winston wrote: »

    Oh and whenever we went camping in early summer, then came the bombardment by june bugs. Massive numbers of the bastards. They were harmless but you'd just get pelted by them in the evenings.

    AH I was trying to think what they were called yesterday...I was thinkiing DUNE bugs but yes June bugs....Hate those...big fat things.

    First time I saw a Wood Roach here flying around the house I thought it was a bird those things are so big, when I realized what it was I screamed like an 8yr old girl.
  • edited June 2009
    Graz wrote: »
    In my version it just says,

    Eroticus 6:2:2 "And the Znorky shall cast a shadow upon the world... And in his smothering embrace, all Mans earthly ferrets shall be emptied."

    What I don't get is that people (over here) always say that ferrets are stinky ... I've never met a smelly ferret ... nor have I emptied one ... but that's clearly beside the off-topic point ... what I'm saying is that, sure they have a slight aroma to them but nothing I'd label as stinky. Then again not many people have smelled my apartment onna hot, humid day*...

    *and lived to tell their tail the tale.
  • edited June 2009
    beanz wrote: »
    AH I was trying to think what they were called yesterday...I was thinkiing DUNE bugs but yes June bugs....Hate those...big fat things.

    Is it true that over in eastern Europe they are called May bugs?
    beanz wrote: »
    First time I saw a Wood Roach here flying around the house I thought it was a bird those things are so big, when I realized what it was I screamed like an 8yr old girl.

    You are an 8 year old girl's lousy blouse, you are ... you ninny! :-P
  • edited June 2009
    ZnorXman wrote: »
    Is it true that over in eastern Europe they are called May bugs?

    There are May bugs in England, this is why I think the ones in Texas are june bugs rather than dune bugs. They are certainly very similar, large flying beetles associated with early summer, although this type of beetle seems to be incredibly numerous at night in woodlands around Texas (and probably most of the southern states) and they seem to insist on doing a Kamikaze ram-raid on your body.
  • edited June 2009
    Winston wrote: »
    There are May bugs in England, this is why I think the ones in Texas are june bugs rather than dune bugs. They are certainly very similar, large flying beetles associated with early summer.

    I thought the Maybugs there were completely different... oh, well ... live and learn and pass it on (as gas).
  • edited August 2009
    Believe it or not the ants round here have waited until today to fly.

    Usual story, a hot day after a few days of rain, now there every where outside.
  • edited August 2009
    Hmm, salt and bleach seems to work best on ants..and if not...draw a circle around their lair in chalk...lke the defence shield on Gorf. They won't cross chalk..but they could fly I suppose..but err umm. Just think yourself lucky its not fireants..scarred for life I am.
    I stole it off a space ship.
  • edited August 2009
    Fire ants are *terrible*. The thing is you step on the grass, and don't realise you've stepped in a fire ant mound until they swarm up your leg and all bite simultaneously. You don't notice them until there are thousands swarming up your ankle, biting madly. Then you get thousands of welts that last for a week or two and itch like hell.

    Terrible things.

    We may have midges here, but at least we don't have fire ants.
  • edited August 2009
    I wish I could've bought a million red ants from some source, and let them lose in the garden to watch the ensuing battle.
  • edited August 2009
    murtceps wrote: »
    Believe it or not the ants round here have waited until today to fly.

    Usual story, a hot day after a few days of rain, now there every where outside.

    Same here. Yesterday in Bognor was Flying ant day. When this year's thread began, they'd just started digging out their nests over here, and when they were about to fly, it poured with rain. A month later, they gave it another go, but after the hot preperation day, the following day was freezing, so again, the ants called it off! Yesterday they took flight. Not as many of them as usual, so they might have another go later on in the year.
  • edited August 2009
    My flying ants keep coming back :(
  • edited August 2009
    Haven't seen any myself. Loads of wasps though, and not the glam rock heavy metal kind either.
  • edited August 2009
    I'm dreading when the lot behind the car park at work start flying. These are the huge armoured red and black wood ants. Never mind discarded scraps of food, we regularly have to check they're not carrying the cars off.
    Joefish
    - IONIAN-GAMES.com -
  • edited August 2009
    Haven't seen any myself. Loads of wasps though, and not the glam rock heavy metal kind either.

    Ahhh, Blackie Lawless and WASP - wotta band ! I saw them live at Monster's of Rock years ago (1992 I think when Iron Maiden were headlining). They were amazing!

    I not seen any flying ants as of yet though.
  • edited August 2009
    Just got in some "Deathlac" - it comes with a ton of health warnings on the side of the can, so it's probably the good stuff ;)
  • edited August 2009
    I probably shouldn't mention this as there maybe impressionable young children reading.... although I love all life on the planet, yesterday there was such a swarm of the flying buggers that they were, for some unknown reason, flying into our house through the back door, literally sheets of them! I armed myself X-Com style with my blowtorch in my right and a table tennis bat in my left, proceeded to set them on fire in mid air and take swipes at the formations. I'm sorry to say I enjoyed myself immensely and got some much needed exercise to boot.
  • edited August 2009
    I probably shouldn't mention this as there maybe impressionable young children reading.... although I love all life on the planet, yesterday there was such a swarm of the flying buggers that they were, for some unknown reason, flying into our house through the back door, literally sheets of them! I armed myself X-Com style with my blowtorch in my right and a table tennis bat in my left, proceeded to set them on fire in mid air and take swipes at the formations. I'm sorry to say I enjoyed myself immensely and got some much needed exercise to boot.
    I can't help thinking that setting fire to flying creatures within your own home, is frankly, asking for trouble for adults to attempt, never mind kids.
    Joefish
    - IONIAN-GAMES.com -
  • edited August 2009
    i'd have just shut the door. :p
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