Termites—The Bug that Ate the South

Termites have been around for millions of years. Their purpose for being is to consume cellulose material like dead trees. Think of them as part of the earth's cleanup committee. Now, life was great for them when they had plenty of habitats, but then people moved into their neighborhood. Without their natural habitat they had to turn to other food sources like...you got it, your house!

In the South, termites are especially at home. Before you purchase a home, make sure you hire a qualified home inspector. A qualified home inspector will be able to determine if your potential new home has a termite problem and to what extent.

Fire Ants—Free to a Good Home

If you are not from the warmer parts of the United States, you may not be familiar with fire ants. Fire ants migrated from South America many years ago and are now found in the south, southeast, west, and southwestern parts of the United States.

Fire ants are aptly named because when they bite you, it burns like fire. In the South, it is not unusual to see parents tearing their screaming children's clothing off in public, while pummeling their child's body as they brush off fire ants. To avoid disaster, teach your children to always watch where they walk because fire ants are found everywhere. You can find them at the playground, outside the mall between the cracks in the parking lot, your backyard, and in the woods. Teach you children to watch for and stay away from the mounds fire ants build. Fire ants are very aggressive and will quickly attack any interloper.

Fire ant bites can cause some people more than pain and discomfort. Be aware that fire ant bites can cause some people to have an adverse reaction and in rare cases, even death.

In the South, neighbors normally place insecticide on fire ant mounds in their yards at the same time. Treating neighboring yards simultaneously helps prevent fire ants from migrating from treated yards to untreated yards.

I wish we could find an effective organic way to rid ourselves of fire ants. Products currently on the market are highly toxic and are especially hazardous to bees and other beneficial insects. Until something better comes along, please be careful when following the directions on the product label and watch out for those fire ants!