Whew, is there any end to the information about fire ants?

I have written 5 articles about fire ants now and I haven’t even begun to tell everything there is to know. I give up for a while.  It’s time to think about Valentine’s Day.

For the guys, I’ll just say this is the most important holiday, equal only to “The Birthday” in the life of a romance.  It’s love’s perfect time for posies, presents, proposals… and getaways. I had to reflect back on one of my own Valentine’s getaways when I was doing all this research, because that was my first introduction to just what a disaster it can be to encounter the ferocious red imported fire ant.

Now how, exactly, do romance and fire ants even get put in the same sentence?  Being from the DC area, we had never heard of fire ants, much less associate them with the child-free romantic retreat we had planned.  I certainly would never have thought to include them in any of my reveries.  What a mistake.   Our ideal vacation was ruined.  Fire ants entered unbidden and spoiled a long awaited and perfectly planned (or so we thought) romantic getaway.

Anyone who has visited Sanibel Island in Florida would attest that it is a perfect setting for a romantic rendezvous.  The resort was fantastic, the pristine, shell strewn beaches were almost deserted and the long weekend stretched out before us like a gauzy dream waiting to happen.

Oh, it happened all right, but it turned out to be the nightmare vacation from hell.

Things started off well enough. We were lavishly welcomed at our accommodations. We had a lovely dinner by candlelight overlooking the ocean. We took the de riguer walk on the beach afterward. That night we were serenaded by the waves and woke up ready for adventure.

It was a bright morning with not a cloud in the sky. Bike riding around the island to get our sightseeing in was on the agenda. So, there we were tooling around and having a great look-see.  It was shaping up to be such lovely day!  Hot but totally lovely.

Luckily for me, I like hot weather rather than cold, but around midday my (ex)husband’s internal temperature was rising and he had a pretty good case of sunburn. His face was tomato red, so we stopped for some cool water and a rest.

Spying a pristine bed of pine straw mulch around a shady palm tree, the man decides to sit there and catch the breezes while I look at kitch for kids. Well, like I said we were totally unaware of the South’s fire ant problems. He no sooner gets settled under that tree before he is swarmed with red imported fire ants.  I heard a howl then saw him swatting away, while he was trying to strip off his shirt.

Big mistake. He now had a weapon to beat fire ants off his legs, but they migrated under his shorts and to his chest and neck.  I don’t know how long that attack lasted, but it felt like an eternity, and I was only an onlooker.  Ouch.  Although it was years later that I experienced my own encounter with fire ants, just watching him suffer was awful.

It was horrible. He sustained so many bites that he was in total agony. Between the fire ant venom and the sunburn there was no comfort or rest. That was the end of the fun and the beginning of weekend misery I will never forget.

No kisses. No hugs. No laughter. For the duration it was just cold baths, grumpy fights and first aid. Such a waste of a holiday vacation.  Had we only known about fire ants, we could have avoided the whole thing.

Fire ants are found in more places all the time and many of them are fabulous vacation spots. We think about getting shots when traveling abroad, but who thinks about outdoor enemies in our own country?  Many Northern clime dwellers are unaware of the dangers of fire ants when traveling to the South.  Fire ants are never discussed in the travel brochures.  The state travel bureaus don’t even warn about fire ants.  How are we supposed to know?

Unfortunately, ignorance is no excuse– in the law and in fire ant behavior.  Fire ants are mean, have no natural enemies here and they hide in places you might never think to look.  Despite the best efforts of landscape professionals and scientists, fire ants still find ways to worm their way into paradise.

Don’t let this happen to you. You spent all that time planning the perfect trip. Now, spend a few moments and check out our articles on red imported fire ants to save yourself a nasty surprise. Familiarize yourself with where fire ants are found and what to look for. Be forewarned and be forearmed. You will be glad you did.

I hope you have a truly romantic Valentine’s Day. May it be full of love–and free of fire ants!

Related  Fire Ant Articles You May Enjoy—

Ferocious Fire Ants— Danger in the Grass

Red Imported Fire Ants—Your Landscape’s Hidden Electric Personality

Eliminate Red Imported Fire Ants?

Getting Rid of Fire Ants—What Really Works?

How to Sustainably Control Red Imported Fire Ants

What is Biointensive Integrated Pest Management?

Getting Started with Biointensive Integrated Pest Management