This afternoon, Mr. Esther went out to change the filter on our water well.
He left his 'work' shoes on the sunporch and changed to his house shoes. A
couple of hours later we were going out to walk the Yorkie. DH's outside
shoes were covered with big, mean stinging ants. ( Not the sissy variety
that come inside and wander around looking for the sugar bowl.)
Disarming the attack was a bit of a problem - don't know why the ants
came in that room and were quite so angry. We tossed the door mats outside,
swept up the ants without getting hurt and wondered what (as well as why) to
do with the shoes.
Freezer seemed to be a good answer. I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer. There. Take that.
DH wonders if their trip to the North Pole will kill the ants or just
temporarily hibernate them. Any thoughts? Polly

"Polly Esther" > wrote in message
...
> This afternoon, Mr. Esther went out to change the filter on our water
> well. He left his 'work' shoes on the sunporch and changed to his house
> shoes. A couple of hours later we were going out to walk the Yorkie.
> DH's outside shoes were covered with big, mean stinging ants. ( Not the
> sissy variety that come inside and wander around looking for the sugar
> bowl.)
> Disarming the attack was a bit of a problem - don't know why the ants
> came in that room and were quite so angry. We tossed the door mats
> outside, swept up the ants without getting hurt and wondered what (as well
> as why) to do with the shoes.
> Freezer seemed to be a good answer. I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer. There. Take that.
> DH wonders if their trip to the North Pole will kill the ants or just
> temporarily hibernate them. Any thoughts? Polly

Talking to myself here - but that's something great-grandmothers can and
will do if they want to. Anyhow - it seems to me that when one of our
offspring was enjoying an aquarium that one of the things they fed the fish
was a frozen stick of shrimp that they would swirl around in the water and
the shrimp would go swimming off. Anyone know if freezing kills ants or
simply sends them off for a temporary nap? Polly

"Polly Esther" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Polly Esther" > wrote in message
> ...
>> This afternoon, Mr. Esther went out to change the filter on our water
>> well. He left his 'work' shoes on the sunporch and changed to his house
>> shoes. A couple of hours later we were going out to walk the Yorkie.
>> DH's outside shoes were covered with big, mean stinging ants. ( Not the
>> sissy variety that come inside and wander around looking for the sugar
>> bowl.)
>> Disarming the attack was a bit of a problem - don't know why the ants
>> came in that room and were quite so angry. We tossed the door mats
>> outside, swept up the ants without getting hurt and wondered what (as
>> well as why) to do with the shoes.
>> Freezer seemed to be a good answer. I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
>> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer. There. Take that.
>> DH wonders if their trip to the North Pole will kill the ants or just
>> temporarily hibernate them. Any thoughts? Polly
>
> Talking to myself here - but that's something great-grandmothers can and
> will do if they want to. Anyhow - it seems to me that when one of our
> offspring was enjoying an aquarium that one of the things they fed the
> fish was a frozen stick of shrimp that they would swirl around in the
> water and the shrimp would go swimming off. Anyone know if freezing kills
> ants or simply sends them off for a temporary nap? Polly

I don't know for sure about ants but I have read some pretty sick stories
about what bad boys do with flies. Doesn't kill them but sort of puts them
to sleep for a while. I would think if the ants were in there long enough
it would kill them.

On Aug 12, 6:13*pm, "Polly Esther" > wrote:
> "Polly Esther" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > This afternoon, Mr. Esther went out to change the filter on our water
> > well. He left his 'work' shoes on the sunporch and changed to his house
> > shoes. *A couple of hours later we were going out to walk the Yorkie.
> > DH's outside shoes were covered with big, mean stinging ants. *( Not the
> > sissy variety that come inside and wander around looking for the sugar
> > bowl.)
> > * *Disarming the attack was a bit of a problem - don't know why the ants
> > came in that room and were quite so angry. *We tossed the door mats
> > outside, swept up the ants without getting hurt and wondered what (as well
> > as why) to do with the shoes.
> > * *Freezer seemed to be a good answer. *I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
> > zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer. *There. *Take that.
> > * *DH wonders if their trip to the North Pole will kill the ants or just
> > temporarily hibernate them. Any thoughts? Polly
>
> Talking to myself here - but that's something great-grandmothers can and
> will do if they want to. *Anyhow - it seems to me that when one of our
> offspring was enjoying an aquarium that one of the things they fed the fish
> was a frozen stick of shrimp that they would swirl around in the water and
> the shrimp would go swimming off. *Anyone know if freezing kills ants or
> simply sends them off for a temporary nap? *Polly

My guess is that it won't kill them. It will keep them from biting so
you can knock and brush them out of your shoes. For extra fun and
meanness, knock them into the aquarium. We once shipped a VW Rabbit
from Hawaii to Washington state. At the first freeze, there were
roaches falling out from under the dash. There were several hundred of
those nasties - all killed by a slight drop in temperature. It was a
horrible sight to see but also kind of wonderful.

On 8/13/2012 4:38 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> On Aug 12, 6:13 pm, "Polly Esther" > wrote:
>> "Polly Esther" > wrote in message
>>
>> ...
>>
>>> This afternoon, Mr. Esther went out to change the filter on our water
>>> well. He left his 'work' shoes on the sunporch and changed to his house
>>> shoes. A couple of hours later we were going out to walk the Yorkie.
>>> DH's outside shoes were covered with big, mean stinging ants. ( Not the
>>> sissy variety that come inside and wander around looking for the sugar
>>> bowl.)
>>> Disarming the attack was a bit of a problem - don't know why the ants
>>> came in that room and were quite so angry. We tossed the door mats
>>> outside, swept up the ants without getting hurt and wondered what (as well
>>> as why) to do with the shoes.
>>> Freezer seemed to be a good answer. I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
>>> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer. There. Take that.
>>> DH wonders if their trip to the North Pole will kill the ants or just
>>> temporarily hibernate them. Any thoughts? Polly
>>
>> Talking to myself here - but that's something great-grandmothers can and
>> will do if they want to. Anyhow - it seems to me that when one of our
>> offspring was enjoying an aquarium that one of the things they fed the fish
>> was a frozen stick of shrimp that they would swirl around in the water and
>> the shrimp would go swimming off. Anyone know if freezing kills ants or
>> simply sends them off for a temporary nap? Polly
>
> My guess is that it won't kill them. It will keep them from biting so
> you can knock and brush them out of your shoes. For extra fun and
> meanness, knock them into the aquarium. We once shipped a VW Rabbit
> from Hawaii to Washington state. At the first freeze, there were
> roaches falling out from under the dash. There were several hundred of
> those nasties - all killed by a slight drop in temperature. It was a
> horrible sight to see but also kind of wonderful.

If the ants were 'fire ants', my suspicion is that the freezer will kill
those little buggers. They definitely are nasty and have the potential
of killing a small child, too! The reason fire ants aren't found "up
north" (of the Mason-Dixon line?) is most likely because they cannot
survive winters that are not temperate, thank goodness!

Sky

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

Yeah -- fire ants are one good reason to always be shod in da yard. I have seen idiots cutting grass in bare feet and wonder if they've never had a fire ant bite. You have the reminder for about 3 weeks. Better than losing a toe, tho, I guess.

On 8/13/2012 9:54 AM, Sqwertz wrote:

>
> Wonderful! <ahem> Who the hell gets roaches in their CAR! Must have
> belonged to Jerry Sauk at one time.


Parked our car in Florida for a week while we were on a cruise. Came
back and it was infested with small ants. Actually had to set off a bug
bomb in the car to get rid of them.

George L

"George Leppla" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/13/2012 9:54 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>
>>
>> Wonderful! <ahem> Who the hell gets roaches in their CAR! Must have
>> belonged to Jerry Sauk at one time.
>
>
> Parked our car in Florida for a week while we were on a cruise. Came back
> and it was infested with small ants. Actually had to set off a bug bomb
> in the car to get rid of them.

Yeah, at least down here the bugs will gleefully climb up the tire
and get into the vehicle via the axle assembly. It is the rare RV
that doesn't have some sort of insect infestation. We probably
have more intelligent, agressive bugs than those Texas wimps.

pavane

On Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:15:04 -0500, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:

> I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer.

Where do you buy those 2 gallon bags? I only seem to see zip lock
bags any bigger than 1 gallon around christmas time.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:00:44 -0500, George Leppla
> wrote:

>On 8/13/2012 9:54 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>
>>
>> Wonderful! <ahem> Who the hell gets roaches in their CAR! Must have
>> belonged to Jerry Sauk at one time.
>
>
>Parked our car in Florida for a week while we were on a cruise. Came
>back and it was infested with small ants. Actually had to set off a bug
>bomb in the car to get rid of them.

Don't you ever clean the drive-thru garbage from your car?

Andy wrote:
>
> Kalmia > wrote:
>
> > Yeah -- fire ants are one good reason to always be shod in da yard. I
> > have seen idiots cutting grass in bare feet and wonder if they've
> > never had a fire ant bite. You have the reminder for about 3 weeks.
> > Better than losing a toe, tho, I guess.
>
> I'm reminded of being 8-years-old in Taos, New Mexico at a native
> American Indian pueblo. I got bored and stepped off the "tourist trail"
> and sat down by a small stream.
>
> I was sitting next to a large smooth stone that I wanted to look at. I
> reached over and pulled it out of the dirt when I saw the underside
> swarming with red fire ants. I jumped away in an instant.

Where's the darn magnifying glass when you really need it?

Gary

"sf" <...
> On Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:15:04 -0500, "Polly Esther"
> <> wrote:
>
>> I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
>> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer.
>
> Where do you buy those 2 gallon bags? I only seem to see zip lock
> bags any bigger than 1 gallon around christmas time.
>
They're there but you have to be tenacious to find them. I need to keep some
on hand to prevent important quilt blocks and pieces from wandering away.
Sometimes WalMart stocks them in the general area of the other zip bags.
Sometimes they hide them over with assorted storage containers in the
kitchen section. Our Wally also puts the parchment paper in the bridal cake
section. You just never know. Polly

On 8/14/2012 2:04 PM, Cheryl wrote:
> On 8/13/2012 5:38 AM, dsi1 wrote:
>> My guess is that it won't kill them. It will keep them from biting so
>> you can knock and brush them out of your shoes. For extra fun and
>> meanness, knock them into the aquarium. We once shipped a VW Rabbit
>> from Hawaii to Washington state. At the first freeze, there were
>> roaches falling out from under the dash. There were several hundred of
>> those nasties - all killed by a slight drop in temperature. It was a
>> horrible sight to see but also kind of wonderful.
>
> I thought roaches lived through anything.

That's what I though! These are wimpy Hawaiian roaches so maybe their
mainland cousins can fare better in cold. I don't do good in cold
either. How you people can live in a place that gets below 72 and above
95 degrees is a wonder.

On 8/13/2012 5:47 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>
> "sf" <...
>> On Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:15:04 -0500, "Polly Esther"
>> <> wrote:
>>
>>> I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
>>> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer.
>>
>> Where do you buy those 2 gallon bags? I only seem to see zip lock
>> bags any bigger than 1 gallon around christmas time.
>>
> They're there but you have to be tenacious to find them. I need to keep
> some on hand to prevent important quilt blocks and pieces from wandering
> away. Sometimes WalMart stocks them in the general area of the other zip
> bags. Sometimes they hide them over with assorted storage containers in
> the kitchen section. Our Wally also puts the parchment paper in the
> bridal cake section. You just never know. Polly
>


I think I've found them at Target, made by Glad. They are a wonderful
size for wool sweaters.

gloria p

"gloria p" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/13/2012 5:47 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>>
>> "sf" <...
>>> On Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:15:04 -0500, "Polly Esther"
>>> <> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
>>>> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer.
>>>
>>> Where do you buy those 2 gallon bags? I only seem to see zip lock
>>> bags any bigger than 1 gallon around christmas time.
>>>
>> They're there but you have to be tenacious to find them. I need to keep
>> some on hand to prevent important quilt blocks and pieces from wandering
>> away. Sometimes WalMart stocks them in the general area of the other zip
>> bags. Sometimes they hide them over with assorted storage containers in
>> the kitchen section. Our Wally also puts the parchment paper in the
>> bridal cake section. You just never know. Polly
>>
>
>
> I think I've found them at Target, made by Glad. They are a wonderful
> size for wool sweaters.

I have some but they are old. I got some to use when we moved here. Then I
found some at Albertsons but they were on clearance.

On 8/13/2012 7:23 AM, Sky wrote:

> If the ants were 'fire ants', my suspicion is that the freezer will kill
> those little buggers. They definitely are nasty and have the potential
> of killing a small child, too! The reason fire ants aren't found "up
> north" (of the Mason-Dixon line?) is most likely because they cannot
> survive winters that are not temperate, thank goodness!
>
> Sky


Some people are afraid of spiders, and we did find a Black Widow last
week, but I am afraid of ants. In this area, we have fire ants and Crazy
Rasberry ants, which have multiple queens. You can freeze them, but it
takes a few days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_R...ite_note-nyt-4

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/us/16ants.html?_r=1

Becca

"gloria p" > wrote in message
...
> On 8/13/2012 5:47 PM, Polly Esther wrote:
>>
>> "sf" <...
>>> On Sun, 12 Aug 2012 22:15:04 -0500, "Polly Esther"
>>> <> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I dropped his shoes into a 2 gal
>>>> zip bag, sealed it and put it in the freezer.
>>>
>>> Where do you buy those 2 gallon bags? I only seem to see zip lock
>>> bags any bigger than 1 gallon around christmas time.
>>>
>> They're there but you have to be tenacious to find them. I need to keep
>> some on hand to prevent important quilt blocks and pieces from wandering
>> away. Sometimes WalMart stocks them in the general area of the other zip
>> bags. Sometimes they hide them over with assorted storage containers in
>> the kitchen section. Our Wally also puts the parchment paper in the
>> bridal cake section. You just never know. Polly
>>
>
>
> I think I've found them at Target, made by Glad. They are a wonderful
> size for wool sweaters.
>
I use something similar when I travel. I put shirts in one, underwear in
another and so on. I then kneel on the bags to expel the air before zipping
them. It makes packing a suitcase so much easier and keeps things
organized.
Graham

Julie Bove wrote:
>
> I don't know for sure about ants but I have read some pretty sick
> stories about what bad boys do with flies. Doesn't kill them but
> sort of puts them to sleep for a while. I would think if the ants
> were in there long enough it would kill them.

According to my grade school experiments, they die after about 15 minutes.

But a fly can be stunned by a gentle whack while it is flying. Then a long
hair, obtained from a girl's brush or the back of her office chair, can be
tied around its neck. It flies in circles on its leash.


--

Reply in group, but if emailing add one more
zero, and remove the last word.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:02:54 -0400, Tom Del Rosso wrote:
>
> > Julie Bove wrote:
> > >
> > > I don't know for sure about ants but I have read some pretty sick
> > > stories about what bad boys do with flies. Doesn't kill them but
> > > sort of puts them to sleep for a while. I would think if the ants
> > > were in there long enough it would kill them.
> >
> > According to my grade school experiments, they die after about 15
> > minutes.
> >
> > But a fly can be stunned by a gentle whack while it is flying.
> > Then a long hair, obtained from a girl's brush or the back of her
> > office chair, can be tied around its neck. It flies in circles on
> > its leash.
>
> OK, three comments?
>
> 1. Flys have necks?

Sure they do. They can turn their heads a little. But even if they can't,
there is a narrow part between the head and thorax.


> 2. How do you tie it tight enough that you decapitate it?

You mean not decapitate, I assume. Just tie it gently. I was skeptical but
I was shown how easy it is.


> 3. *Office* chair?
> :-)

Three techs working late need a break.

"Wendy has long hair. Let's check her chair."

Their names were both Craig, so they were known as Frick and Frack. Frack
was the expert on this. Frick was the one with the beard.


> The way I heard it is that you thread the fly with a small needle
> right through it's abdomen. Pull the thread all the way through and
> remove the needle.

That would shorten its life. I think it also causes jerky flight in little
spurts that tug on the leash. Frack's way it gets pulled into a turn, so it
keeps going in circles.


--

Reply in group, but if emailing add one more
zero, and remove the last word.

Just in case anyone's interested in the rest of the story. Freezing the
shoes did indeed kill the mass of angry ants. However, the soles of the
shoes fell off. Don't try this at home. Polly

"Polly Esther" wrote:
>
>Just in case anyone's interested in the rest of the story. Freezing the
>shoes did indeed kill the mass of angry ants. However, the soles of the
>shoes fell off.

Walmart shoes.

On 8/13/2012 5:38 AM, dsi1 wrote:
> My guess is that it won't kill them. It will keep them from biting so
> you can knock and brush them out of your shoes. For extra fun and
> meanness, knock them into the aquarium. We once shipped a VW Rabbit
> from Hawaii to Washington state. At the first freeze, there were
> roaches falling out from under the dash. There were several hundred of
> those nasties - all killed by a slight drop in temperature. It was a
> horrible sight to see but also kind of wonderful.

I thought roaches lived through anything.

"Sqwertz" <> wrote ...
> On Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:51:13 -0500, Polly Esther wrote:
>
>> Just in case anyone's interested in the rest of the story. Freezing the
>> shoes did indeed kill the mass of angry ants. However, the soles of the
>> shoes fell off. Don't try this at home. Polly
>
> Not a very good set or work boots if you can't wear them out in the
> cold or leave them on the porch after shoveling snow.
>
> -sw
They weren't good boots; just 'running shoes', not, of course, that they
ever got to go for a run. Polly

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 14 Aug 2012 15:51:13 -0500, Polly Esther wrote:
>
>> Just in case anyone's interested in the rest of the story. Freezing the
>> shoes did indeed kill the mass of angry ants. However, the soles of the
>> shoes fell off. Don't try this at home. Polly
>
> Not a very good set or work boots if you can't wear them out in the
> cold or leave them on the porch after shoveling snow.

Yeah.

On 8/13/2012 7:47 PM, Polly Esther wrote:

> They're there but you have to be tenacious to find them. I need to keep
> some on hand to prevent important quilt blocks and pieces from wandering
> away. Sometimes WalMart stocks them in the general area of the other zip
> bags. Sometimes they hide them over with assorted storage containers in
> the kitchen section. Our Wally also puts the parchment paper in the
> bridal cake section. You just never know.

Good to know. My mom is very into quilting and I'd bet she doesn't know
that trick. I think it would be helpful for her.