[Minnesotalyn]

We have an acre lot here and my husband's been fighting gophers and moles for 25 years. I thought he'd be done with them when we moved to Florida

[graciegirl]

Honey Bunny, The sand mounds are ANTH.

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by 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.

I've seen these mounds along the side of the road, and based on my Fire Ant experience of living in S. Fl. for 58 years, these are not ants. I even got out of my golf cart and walked up to them and there were no ant holes. If you kick a Fire Ant hill they will immediately swarm. These seem to only be mounds of dirt or sand and am glad you answered my curiosity.

[K9-Lovers]

This thread has me wondering . . . why has this topic become a debate?

There are lots of different critters, creatures, bugs and insects that live underground. They all dig a hole or tunnel, which creates a mound of dirt.

Just because you saw a mound which didn't have ants, doesn't mean that there are no ant mounds. Just because some sort of pocket gopher made some mounds doesn't mean that there are no mounds created by ants.

I've seen mounds, too, and walked up to them and seen the ants. Some were fire ants, and some were other species of ants I can't identify.

Fire ants live in our part of Florida and they are alive and well in The Villages. Be aware.

Here is a map showing where the red inported fire art (RIFA) lives in the US.

[Vinny]

One of my dogs got bitten by fire ants. Had to rush her to hospital. Her throat swelled shut and the pads of her paws turned so red we thought they were bleeding. Now we are proactive and spray all ant hills on our property as we find them.

[kb8tpw]

I'd guess the difference is the size of the mounds. Check out the mounds along the fence rows and pastures in the vicinity and you'll see that the gophers do a larger mound. I didn't intend to sell the fire ants short, I have some of them too on the other side of the yard and Massey takes care of them regularly, but they dwarf the gopher mounds. My latest one is very big, probably 7-8 gal equivalent of dirt piled up in the middle of my mulch. From the initial discussion I was convinced they were gophers rather that ants, didn't intend to get everyone riled up and out of sorts. I guess PETA will be knocking on my door tomorrow.

[K9-Lovers]

We surely don't want PETA after us -- I'm scared of those folks.

[uujudy]

Ants, gophers OR Gopher Tortoises.
When we went horseback riding in the Ocala National Forest we saw many of those mounds. Our guide said they were Gopher Tortoise mounds, where the tortoises go to lay eggs, sleep at night or play poker. She cautioned us to keep the horses from stepping on the mounds so we wouldn't squash the tortoises. The mounds are connected by tunnels, and the tortoises are considered to be a 'keystone species' because so many other critters depend on their tunnels. If you see the mounds in a line (like a connect-the-dots picture), odds are they're tortoise mounds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopherus_polyphemus
(I'm just guessing, but would that be where 'turtle mound' comes from?)

[Bonny]

Whoever thought it would be so interesting discussing mounds of dirt. LOL

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Bonny

Whoever thought it would be so interesting discussing mounds of dirt. LOL

I have learned a lot. I went and squinted at those little mounds starting along the driveway and said if you are a tortoise or a gopher you are not staying here in my yard.

But I really still think they are those fire ants that LOOK like pith anth And they aren't welcome...at all.

[uujudy]

Gracie, if they're in your yard they're most likely fire ants, especially if you see little ants coming out of them. lol
The Florida fire ants are tiny by Louisiana standards. When we first moved into our villa I felt things biting my toes in the dining room, and realized they were tiny ants. I set out ant traps everywhere, to no avail. They Massey guy said they were fire ants. One treatment outside and they were gone.

Those bigger dirt piles along the roads and in the fields are tortoise mounds.

[K9-Lovers]

"Gophers and Ants and Moles, Oh My! Gophers and Ants and Moles, Oh My!"

Dorothy, from the Village of Oz.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by K9-Lovers

"Gophers and Ants and Moles, Oh My! Gophers and Ants and Moles, Oh My!"

Dorothy, from the Village of Oz.

[Shimpy]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I have learned a lot. I went and squinted at those little mounds starting along the driveway and said if you are a tortoise or a gopher you are not staying here in my yard.

But I really still think they are those fire ants that LOOK like pith anth And they aren't welcome...at all.

I don't think the original post was talking about little mounds as you would have in your yard. The mounds that I have noticed are everywhere you see an open field and especially it you take a drive west on 44 to wards Inverness and look in the fields and areas along the road. There are thousands of these, some only 6' apart. I inspected a couple where I could get access and there was no tell tell sign of ants, such as entrance hole on top. I kicked it and if there were ants they would swarm ready to bite. They all looked like a shovel of dirt. I know its no big deal, but am only curious as to what they are.

[ncr2482]

When on a golf course here, be careful when picking up the rake in a bunker. Check to be sure fire ants aren't crawling on it.