Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
#16
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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
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#17
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Honey Bunny, The sand mounds are ANTH.
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#18
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Quote:
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Les |
#19
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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.
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K9-Lovers |
#20
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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.
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#21
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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.
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#22
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We surely don't want PETA after us -- I'm scared of those folks.
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K9-Lovers |
#23
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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?)
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Toledo, Maumee, Lima, Columbus & Sandusky, Ohio New Castle, Newark & Delaware City, Delaware Lewisville, Pennsylvania Bossier City, Louisiana Salt Lake City & Ogden, Utah The Villages, Florida |
#24
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Whoever thought it would be so interesting discussing mounds of dirt. LOL
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#25
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But I really still think they are those fire ants that LOOK like pith anth And they aren't welcome...at all. |
#26
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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.
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Toledo, Maumee, Lima, Columbus & Sandusky, Ohio New Castle, Newark & Delaware City, Delaware Lewisville, Pennsylvania Bossier City, Louisiana Salt Lake City & Ogden, Utah The Villages, Florida |
#27
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"Gophers and Ants and Moles, Oh My! Gophers and Ants and Moles, Oh My!"
Dorothy, from the Village of Oz.
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K9-Lovers |
#28
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#29
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Quote:
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Les |
#30
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Fire ants
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.
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Closed Thread |
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