If you have never been bitten by a fire ant, I envy you. The name is apropos because when they sting you, it feels like that part of your flesh is burning. So you can only imagine the threat they pose in large numbers. Well, looks like a certain nightmare has come true as more and more sightings of floating fire ant colonies have been spotted around some flooded parts of Texas right now.
Just a few examples from locals in the area:
Pro tip: Don’t touch the floating fire ant colonies. They will ruin your day. #Harvey pic.twitter.com/uwJd0rA7qB
— Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) August 27, 2017
There’s more:
Fire ants form a protective island as they float out the #Houston flood pic.twitter.com/UBORwAzA4R
— Omar Villafranca (@OmarVillafranca) August 27, 2017
And MORE….
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
But please allow me to apply some science to this for a second so everyone doesn’t lose their minds and think “the ants have finally taken over”, though that is a genuine threat considering their numbers compared to use, but that’s not important right now.
Below you will see an example of “ants making an unsinkable raft out of themselves”. What we are seeing in Texas is the same exact thing. An insect creating the best thing it can with no outside help to survive a natural disaster. Heck, most creatures are more adaptive than humans to be honest, this video proves it.
My only suggestion would be to GENUINELY stay away from them, floating or not. Fire ants are VERY aggressive creatures. Just leave the scary ant raft alone and hopefully it will do the same for you.
You are both just trying to survive, after all.
0 Comments