Attacked by fire ants in Burnt River!!
Head's-up to anyone who sits on the ground (eg. turkey hunters). I was laying on my back yesterday, painting the running gear on an old hay wagon. I had a work shirt on. All of a sudden I felt something bite me on my chest, beside my armpit. I'd rate it as about 70% of the pain of a yellow jacket bite. It hurt enough that I immediately dropped the paint brush and crawled out from under the wagon. I then felt another bite on my forearm, and three more on my chest. I tore off my shirt, and saw a tiny 2mm ant doing the job! I couldn't believe how bad it burned. Like someone had injected acid into me.
I did a computer search today, and all that came up as being capable of such a bite was the European fire ant. Native to Europe, and now spreading in Canada. Not the same fire ant that you get down south in the states.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1421066/wh...t-rid-of-them/
After 24 hours, the bite on my forearm is puffed-up a good 3 inches. The chest bites are the size of a dime, and itch like an SOB. I went back and collected some ants from the site. I have a dissecting microscope at home. 100% positive ID (stinger on tip of abdomen, double-segmented body anterior to abdomen, and two visible spines adjacent to the narrow portion of the abdomen. I live just south of Burnt River, by Fenelon Falls. I'm going to notify Guelph U tomorrow.
Nasty little buggers.
