View Full Version : Fire ants?
Riocielo
05-19-2014, 10:35
How prevalent are fire ants on the trail?
I have a severe fire ant allergy and must carry epinephrine. After years of shots, I still have a 10% chance of a reaction if bitten.
How much do you see fire ants and are they easy to avoid?
I ve seen none on the trail. But I have nt hike the whole trail
Snowleopard
05-19-2014, 10:44
I've never heard of them being in New England. Further south, I don't know.
Looks like after Georgia, you have a minimal risk. http://maps.acesag.auburn.edu/Imported_Fire_Ant_US_Distribution/default.aspx
Plus, if you start NOBO during the colder months, they are even less active.
I have never seen Fire Ants on the AT.
HooKooDooKu
05-19-2014, 11:19
Based on my hiking experience in GSMNP, it seems like there are some ants almost everywhere. Leave a scrap of food somewhere, and in almost no time is seems like you can at least spot a scout checking it out. But I almost never see an ant colony in the woods. I find many times more ant colonies in my own front yard than I see in the woods. I've never personally been bit by an ant in the woods, nor have I ever personally known someone who has gotten bit by an ant in the woods. To me, it seems like the only way to get bit is if you stop for a rest and accidentally find yourself standing or sitting on an ant colony... and that's obviously easily avoided if you simply pay attention to were to stop.
IMHO, it's much more likely that you would get stung by a bee than get bitten by an ant... especially if you simply pay attention to where you are. I'm allergic to poison ivy... not to the point I need an epi pen... but I still HATE the stuff. So I find that I'm hyper-vigilant about poison ivy. In almost every hike in GSMNP, I encounter some poison ivy. But because I'm vigilant about it, I've never gotten poison ivy.
So based on what I've experienced, as long as your are vigilant about ants, I can't imagine them being a problem. Are the odds zero you'll never get bitten by an ant on the trail? I can not say that. But with a little vigilance, I don't imagine them being a problem either.
BTW, I'm speaking of "ants" in general... not just "fire ants". So if your problem is specific to "fire ants", then you have almost no issue along the AT. Based on maps I can quickly Google on the current distribution of "fire ants", they seem to only be located in Georgia, MAYBE a little bit along the Tennessee/North Carolina border.
Riocielo
05-19-2014, 13:59
Thanks so much for all the info. I knew the further North we go, the less likely we would see fire ants, but all your words are very reassuring.
Where we live you can barely walk five feet without seeing a big fire ant bed. In fact, here in Mobile, if you see ants it is best to assume they are fire ants until proven otherwise. :)
Thanks so much for all the info. I knew the further North we go, the less likely we would see fire ants, but all your words are very reassuring.
Where we live you can barely walk five feet without seeing a big fire ant bed. In fact, here in Mobile, if you see ants it is best to assume they are fire ants until proven otherwise. :)
That sucks about the allergy. I live in SC and the mounds already popped up. I don't even try to kill them any more. Just avoid them (but they ARE fun to mow). They LOVE eating termites, its their favorite food, so it keeps the termite population down in the yard - which you generally can't see until the Terminix man says he found some in the traps outside the house. I almost never have any in my traps now. One or two fire ant bites isn't a big deal. I usually get them every now and then working on my grapes or something. It sucks, and it hurts a little, but you get over it.
I haven't seen many hiking in the mountains. Maybe its the cooler temps or the elevation they don't like. I know they are very sluggish when it gets cold... try knocking over a mound in early spring when they've come up, but there's a cold snap. Takes them forever to react.
Bayer made a great poison at one time for them, but it got discontinued for washing into ponds and killing fish.