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In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, images of floating fire ant colonies from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston have gone viral on social media.
Meanwhile, in Cuero, the river has brought my aunt all of the fire ants. Yes, those are all (of the) fire ants. pic.twitter.com/dEibWYxAdl
— Bill O'Zimmermann (@The_Reliant) August 29, 2017
Holy crap. I have never, in my entire career as an ant researcher, seen *anything* like this. https://t.co/jIjTOo3fZc
— Alex Wild (@Myrmecos) August 29, 2017
‘Avoid, avoid, avoid.’
Some experts are warning the public not to attempt to drown the insects, NPR reports.
“If anybody comes in contact with that, hits it, well then, the ants immediately will stream onto that person just like they would onto a log or onto a bank because they’re looking for high ground,” Paul Nester, a Houston-based fire ants expert at Texas A&M’s AgriLife Extension Service, told NPR.
A fire ant expert warns not to try to drown the insects by pushing them underwater. It will backfire https://t.co/3t3I7yx5v2
— NPR (@NPR) August 31, 2017
People in areas affected by Hurricane Harvey are reporting….floating fire ant rafts. What????? pic.twitter.com/iPPBaCc8RP
— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) August 30, 2017
Pest management professionals: Do you have any advice on how to manage these fire ant floats? Comment below.
