My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

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Ltislander
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My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39109Post Ltislander
Wed Jun 27, 2018 10:38 pm

I’ve been telling him no but he just doesn’t care! He has about 500 workers but has now developed a serious allergy. He just won’t listen!

AntsDakota
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39211Post AntsDakota
Thu Jun 28, 2018 6:38 pm

Ltislander wrote:
Wed Jun 27, 2018 10:38 pm
I’ve been telling him no but he just doesn’t care! He has about 500 workers but has now developed a serious allergy. He just won’t listen!
This, in my opinion, is a serious matter. How about trying to get him to join the GAN project and sell them for 100 or so dollars, instead of releasing them. When money's involved, you can change almost anyone's mind. You could say something like, "Instead of releasing them, how about selling them? You could probably get 100 or so dollars with a colony that size." Then tell him about the GAN project. I know AntsCanada doesn't like the selling of invasive species, yet I think them being sold is better than them being released. The chance of them being released drops greatly.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39249Post AntsLuxembourg
Fri Jun 29, 2018 7:34 am

I think you should ask him if you can have them and then you try to find someone who can get them. This is actually a much greater matter of worsen an already existing issue with fireants. I think it's best he give the ants to someone who want's to care for them so they don't need to be released. Sure moving a whole colony might be difficult but still better than releasing them.

Just try to buy yourself some time by taking them so he can get ride of them.
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

Currently not keeping any ants anymore.

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antnest8
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39281Post antnest8
Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:13 pm

is it even legal to release those ants?
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Ltislander
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39613Post Ltislander
Mon Jul 02, 2018 11:13 pm

He didn’t realize them. He killed them with ant gel.

Hunter36o
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39634Post Hunter36o
Tue Jul 03, 2018 4:13 am

Normally I hate to hate but that is scum. Firstly he should not have had imported ants and second although I understand he gained an allergy to them but this does not excuse the fact you cannot release fire ants and to kill a whole colony just to be rid of them! This dude has no love. Now in saying that I do have a personal opinion that if they are currently not roaming the house they are not a pest and if they are not a pest in this case a PET. This is animal cruelty. Destroying an ant colony is like saying I am bored with America. Kill em all. It is unjustified. I can only hope you convince him or her to back off from keeping ants if their go to solution is to kill. Plus you said they did not care for the aftermath of releasing ants in a local park.

But this does open a question for the gan project. What if we do have situations like this but are in a position to take in the ants? I know the gan does not support the importation of ants but can we ignore this if taking in such a colony safes them being released into the wild? Take for example that I am from Ireland so we have a very limited range of ants so people are going to import some. Do i let them die or destroy the local area (both of these options to not sit well with me for life is life regardless of size and origin) or do I take them in to save both them and the local environment/ local ants?
Research is important before during and even after you have established a colony. There is always time to learn and to listen to others experiences. Live by this and your ants will thrive. Fail to do so and your experience may be brief.

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Ltislander
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39659Post Ltislander
Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:22 am

I yelled at him. Made him actually genuinely feel bad. Made him regret not doing GAN.

FolloweroftheWay
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39664Post FolloweroftheWay
Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:42 am

Red imported fire ants are everywhere across the southeastern United States. He did not import them from overseas. Most likely he caught a red imported fire ant queen locally. Releasing them back into a park would not have been a big deal because they have already been released via shipping containers to the United States decades ago. Before red imported fire ants made it to the United States, black imported fire ants were rather common in the United States which made it to the US the exact same way.

Just a little information.

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Ltislander
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 39693Post Ltislander
Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:02 pm

FolloweroftheWay wrote:
Tue Jul 03, 2018 10:42 am
Red imported fire ants are everywhere across the southeastern United States. He did not import them from overseas. Most likely he caught a red imported fire ant queen locally. Releasing them back into a park would not have been a big deal because they have already been released via shipping containers to the United States decades ago. Before red imported fire ants made it to the United States, black imported fire ants were rather common in the United States which made it to the US the exact same way.

Just a little information.

M.
Thanks for the info!

AntsDakota
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Re: My friend wants to release his colony of red imported fire ants into a park.

Post: # 40132Post AntsDakota
Fri Jul 06, 2018 4:48 pm

Hunter36o wrote:
Tue Jul 03, 2018 4:13 am
Normally I hate to hate but that is scum. Firstly he should not have had imported ants and second although I understand he gained an allergy to them but this does not excuse the fact you cannot release fire ants and to kill a whole colony just to be rid of them! This dude has no love. Now in saying that I do have a personal opinion that if they are currently not roaming the house they are not a pest and if they are not a pest in this case a PET. This is animal cruelty. Destroying an ant colony is like saying I am bored with America. Kill em all. It is unjustified. I can only hope you convince him or her to back off from keeping ants if their go to solution is to kill. Plus you said they did not care for the aftermath of releasing ants in a local park.

But this does open a question for the gan project. What if we do have situations like this but are in a position to take in the ants? I know the gan does not support the importation of ants but can we ignore this if taking in such a colony safes them being released into the wild? Take for example that I am from Ireland so we have a very limited range of ants so people are going to import some. Do i let them die or destroy the local area (both of these options to not sit well with me for life is life regardless of size and origin) or do I take them in to save both them and the local environment/ local ants?
I don't think he killed them on purpose.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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