Never pick up "fuzzy" ants

[Chopper]

Our shop sits at the edge of a swamp, and various scorpions, rattle snakes, cool bugs, and other critters are always wondering in. A big rule at Flagler Collision is...Kill NOTHING!!! (this will get you fired as fast as theft) Come get me, I'll move (sometimes relocate) the guy in question. Last week, a beautiful black and red fuzzy striped large ant walked into the paint room. I let him (turns out it was a her) walk around on my hand and arm while I studied it. Never saw anything like it...it was beautiful. When one of the guys went to transfer it to his arm, he was screaming! It had stung him---powerfully---this grown man was almost in tears. At the hospital hours later(the searing pain had not lessened at all) he learned it was a Velvet Ant...known as a "Cowkiller" for its sting that is said to kill cattle. Ten days later, the site is still swollen, and flashes burning pain every so often. Doctors said effects are sometimes felt for SIX MONTHS!!! Never pick up red and black fuzzy ants! The ones with wings are males.. This has been a Public Service Announcement;)

[ZEUS]

So is that a work comp claim?

[Chopper]

:laughing::laughing::laughing: he hasn't missed work, and hasn't mentioned the bill

[VCrossfan]

You gotta tell us...did the Ant get away, or is it stuffed in the showroom??

[Chopper]

the sting worked as nature intended.....the animal escaped, and he'll never touch another:laughing::laughing:

[don moore]

ouch
http://eny3005.ifas.ufl.edu/lab1/Hymenoptera/Mutillid_1.jpg

I would get fired if I worked there........lol:mad:

[So-CalVX]

looks like a freaky wingless wasp!:eek: Scary! I too would be fired.

[nfpgasmask]

Are these native to FLA or are these some sort of invasive species?

I never saw one of those when I lived down there...

Bart

[Joe Isuzu]

Hey Chopper, did it make a strange scratching or squeaking sound? I had these near our pool in NC growing up. They were bigger than normal ants and stood out b/c of their colouring. They only stung me once and then I knew I needed to save them from drowning by using a stick or the net. They always made a squeaking sound when they were stinging the stick.

[Hotsauce]

Most brightly colored insects are poisonous.

John C.

[Joe_Black]

Well, I have to admit to having attempted to stomp a few from time to time. They have a habit of showing up usually when I'm working under one of my Caterpillars, and they're pretty resilient to being whacked with a 3/4" wrench. They don't like PB Blaster much either, but pop pretty quick when encountering oxy-acetylene.

Typically I'm a live-n-let-live kinda guy, except when I'm in a confined space! ;)

[Chopper]

according to what's that bug, they do squeak, and in one form or another they are native all over....mexico and cali, to n.c. and fla.

[nfpgasmask]

Huh, looks like these are actually wasps, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvet_ant

Bart

[Chopper]

Yeah, it was waspy....but beautiful.

[So-CalVX]

uh huh... I called it. :bwgy: oh yeah

[WormGod]

I would be fired and that would be one dead bug. Then again, I am not so curious as to want to touch, hold, or really even care about bugs, so I probably wouldnt have been in that situation, heh.

When I was a teen, I was a naturalist at a nature center. Gave tours to kids and groups and showed and handled various animals. One of the rules there was, when handling snakes (and giving the whole song and dance speech while doing so), if the snake bites you, act like it did not happen so's not to alarm the group. There were MANY times when a corn snake or black snake wasnt in the mood to be handled and they would sink their teeth right into an arm. You just ignored it and kept right on talking. I am older and wiser now, and realise I am above snakes on the food chain. Let one try that again. :cool:

[mbeach]

I saw an ant nearly kill a guy in Panama many years ago.
It was a big (like an inch long) ant -we used to call them 50 cal ants (as in .50 caliber).
It bit him on the neck -his neck swelled up so much that it blocked his airway.
Bee sting kits apparently weren't working fast enough, so we had to *hastily* clear an LZ so he could be medevac'd.

Ever since then, I give ants a wide berth.

[nfpgasmask]

I am older and wiser now, and realise I am above snakes on the food chain. Let one try that again. :cool:

Awww come on man, you would do the same thing if you were the snake. I've been bit by many a snake (non-venomous of course) and I think it is best not to react. Typically, once a snake knows biting isn't gonna work, they usually calm down a little. That was the case with the big yellow bellied racer I caught here. It bit me in the hand and then calmed down right away. I caught that snake within minutes of catching this baby gopher snake. The little guy was a completely different story. He wouldn't stop biting and hissing no matter what. Eventually he calmed down a little, but he was not happy I picked him up!

http://www.nofuture.com/dailys/snakes/snakes01.jpg

I can't wait for spring so I can get out to the Sierra in search of the California Mountain Kingsnake!!

I'm surprised with my new Mata Mata turtle, he is completely docile. He squirms a little and wants to be let go, but there is no biting at all...

Not the case with stinkpots, snappers and softies....

Bart

[WormGod]

Strangely, I would take a snake bite again over an iguana tail whip. Sounds funny, but you ever had your leg whipped by a 6ft (tail to head) iguana? There be some meat in them tails!!! Years ago, a girl I was dating was deathly afraid of Diplodocus, my giant iguana, so when she came over I would have to put him in his "penthouse" (1/4 of my basement was turned into an enclosed tropical rainforest just for him). Well, this one time, he didnt want to go in and he ran from me (I let him run around the house, but it was cool since he was litter box trained, heh). He had never run from me before and usually seemed to BEG to be held, even if he did kill your arm after 5 mins. But this time, its like he knew I was putting him away to give someone else attention. So, without realising it, I cornered him and went in for the catch. Big mistake. That tail came around like a friggin swinging katana and whipped right across my bare calf. I took a few steps back and dropped. My leg from knee down felt like magma was running across it. It hurt like an SOB for about 3 days and I had a welt for about 2 weeks. Diplodocus 1 - Gary 0

I will take the snake bite over that any day. :bgwo:

[nfpgasmask]

I'm with ya, I had a 4.5 footer for many years when I lived in FLA, I don't know what was worse though, the talons or the tail....both were like a 10d6 attack!

:) Bart



Strangely, I would take a snake bite again over an iguana tail whip. Sounds funny, but you ever had your leg whipped by a 6ft (tail to head) iguana? There be some meat in them tails!!! Years ago, a girl I was dating was deathly afraid of Diplodocus, my giant iguana, so when she came over I would have to put him in his "penthouse" (1/4 of my basement was turned into an enclosed tropical rainforest just for him). Well, this one time, he didnt want to go in and he ran from me (I let him run around the house, but it was cool since he was litter box trained, heh). He had never run from me before and usually seemed to BEG to be held, even if he did kill your arm after 5 mins. But this time, its like he knew I was putting him away to give someone else attention. So, without realising it, I cornered him and went in for the catch. Big mistake. That tail came around like a friggin swinging katana and whipped right across my bare calf. I took a few steps back and dropped. My leg from knee down felt like magma was running across it. It hurt like an SOB for about 3 days and I had a welt for about 2 weeks. Diplodocus 1 - Gary 0

I will take the snake bite over that any day. :bgwo: