[Sparky-30]

Just had to post it, been down here since last year, cant figure out what those raised mounds are from place to place, mole hills?, ant mounds?

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Ants.

Bill

[katezbox]

Not just ants - fire ants. Be very cautious around them. They can attack quickly and their bite is poisonous and painful. If you are allergic you can suffer anaphylanxis (sp)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ant

[Sparky-30]

Wow, must be some big ants, thanks for the answer.

[JenAjd]

Ants look just pretty much like other ants but they're profuse!!! Be careful too working in your lawns. If you're pulling weeds, wear gloves!! Also think about wearing shoes with socks...if you wear sandles they may crawl over your feet. Their "bites" are like blisters and are pretty nasty from what I've been told.

[Bonny]

There alot of areas that have a lot of mole holes.

[Bogie Shooter]

Some of them are probably burrowing owls.
http://greenbroward.net/network/inde...d=70&Itemid=45

The ant mounds usually have a lot of little holes in them.

I have been seeing many mole holes around the Villages this past month. A dog pulled one out of the ground at Doggie Doo Run Run a few days ago. Had to chase the dog down to get it away from the dog. Not sure what killed that mole or if was alive when the dog got it.

My dog pulled a dead mole out of the ground at the Lynnhaven Postal Center last year. That one was probably poisoned.

You see a lot more mole mounds where they do not use poison to control them.

[billethkid]

As soon as disturbed the colony comes boiling up and out extremely fast and they aren't coming out to see what happened...they are coming out to fight and bite. Their sting can be as painful as a wasp sting....except it is a bite. And just one can bite repeatedly....now multiply by thousands....potentially deadly.

btk

[eremite06]

I saw two set mole traps at Polo a few weeks ago. They were of the mechanical type that trips a spike when the mole surfaces. Not too safe for unleashed dogs that frequent the area.

[mfp509]

I was told they were gophers.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Sparky-30

Wow, must be some big ants, thanks for the answer.

No sparky, they aren't BIG ants. They look like our plain ole' iddy biddy Northern PITH ANTH.

[K9-Lovers]

If you see mounds of dirt/sand in a field or near the base of bushes and they are about 3-5 inches high, and there are several in the same vicinity . . . those are fire ants.

There are different kinds of fire ants, but the fire ants around here are smaller than most ants and have a pointy rear end where their stinger is. They bite down and then move their back end in a circular motion so they can sting in several places. You don't feel the bite at all, but the stings feel like a sharp prick and soon afterward, it burns. Except on the tough part of your feet -- no sting or burn, only the itchiest bump you ever had. Then a puss-filled blister forms. Don't pop it, as it takes longer to go away and leaves a bigger scar. (I know this from an experiment I tried on myself).

Little children, elderly who cannot move quickly, dogs, etc. can be quickly covered by these ants. The ants attack silently, cover as much of the body as possible without being detected, then one ant gives the signal and they all sting at once with the aim to kill the victim with multiple stings.

Or, you could just be walking through grass no where near a mound and one or two will get on you as you pass through and you'll get a couple of stings.

TV does a pretty good job spraying for bugs so it's pretty rare to seem them here, except in large grass areas where there is not much foot traffic and around the base of planting beds and bushes.

So don't go near those mounds. Very dangerous critters. They have killed people in their sleep. Please spray your home and yard to keep them away from your property.http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/sto...2143091&page=1

[kb8tpw]

I am here to tell you that what you are seeing are NOT ants. They are gophers, pocket gophers to be exact. I have become an expert on them in recent months. My pocket book is a few hundred dollars worse off too - and as of the past few days I have them back again. They create havoc to a yard. One place, Bray Pest Control, advertises in the Sun and so far they have failed to live up to their advertisement. I called them Monday when I returned after weeks absence, only to find 4 more mounds, no return call yet. If you have them you will know exactly what you are dealing with. I just returned from a quick trip to Indiana for a funeral and observed them along the highway all the way to Gainesville, none beyond that. Look up pocket gophers on Google and you'll learn why they are called "pocket" gophers. They have left several piles in my mulch and that gives me great distress. One huge one in recent days. Several months ago my neighbor had a couple mounds and I treated them for fire ants - not the problem. Now they are back with a vengeance. I hope you never have to observe them close up and personal but if curiosity has the best of you and out along the fence lines and pastures of Sumter County isn't close enough PM me and I'll give you instructions and you can come over and check out my back yard. The front and side yards are pretty much gone.

My saga continues.

[K9-Lovers]

Well, kb8tpw, you may have pocket gophers in your area. But there are definitely fire ants here, too. I've been bitten by a fire ant recently right here in TV near the polo grounds. And I know what fire ants are from personal experience before arriving in TV.

Could it be possible that there are ground pocket gophers AND fire ants in TV?

Yes.