Wow! What a pleasure! It rained this afternoon and boy did we need it. I was all ready to irrigate, bought the tickets and made all the arrangements. I guess that the big man upstairs is looking out for us, as usual. Still sitting here enjoying the thunder. It's the first time since October!

[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 6/22/2011 6:55p).]

I got 1.72" at my house in north McAllen.

My parents had 3" in Mercedes. My aunt that lives in Harlingen said it poured most of the afternoon.

As of today I'm up to 3.75 inches total. Perfect amount

This rain (over the last two days) has aded up to about 4.5 inches here in south Edinburg. Certainly nice.

I bought one of those cool wireless weather stations and am having fun with it. Finally got to see if the rain gauge worked and reported the rain to my computer!


[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 6/23/2011 6:40p).]

8/10th premont

This rain just keeps on giving! As of this morning I have had almost exactly 7 inches of rain in Edinburg and we are having a thunderstorm this afternoon (friday) again. According to Channel 5 we are now officially above where we should be for the year. My grass is smiling "ear to ear".

The only problem is that when I had time to get out and mow the grass, My riding mower quit working so I am going to have very tall grass when I get the mower back, but I'll take it. Even the oleanders are growing faster than the cutter ants can chop them down.

[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 7/1/2011 3:59p).]

oldvalleyrat

I have been in a 2 year war with the cutter ants. Tried everything short of napalm.

got any suggestions?

I have been fighting those little "buggers" ever since I bought this house in 2001 when my wife and I retired. I have a pretty large yard (1+ acres) and have some open land around me. The ants always seem to come from somewhere else and they seem to like everything in my yard including a 50 foot Chinese Tallow, a fence line of oleanders, a pear tree and the ash trees.

I went down to Valley Garden Center and was told to buy some foul smelling white powder called "Acephate". It kills the ants real good but is short term and you need to put out a lot to really get at them. (I have and still use this stuff.)

I called the Ags down in Weslaco and talked to their head entomologist (sp?) named Stormy Sparks. I said that at the time he had no good solutions but would like to drive up and try out several baits in my yard. He did but had real mixed results. After a couple of years I called back and talked to another fellow down there and he suggested that I use some stuff available at WalMart called "Over and Out". I just happened to be having a problem with the ants in my pear tree and I used this stuff. The ants disappeared and never came back. (Coincidence?)

The guy that does my spraying around and in my house told me that he had the commercial version of the "Over and Out" and he would try it out for me and sprayed around my tallow tree. They left there and have come back after a year from another direction.

My neighbors and I irrigate at the same time and one of the nests was in his yard. The last time we irrigated, the nest in his yard caved in and made a mess. I really hate those ants!

If I were you I would get some of the Acetate and keep it around and try the "Over and Out" later. Good luck!

If you hear of a good solution be sure and post it here so I can try it.

http://fireant.tamu.edu/broadcastbait/products/overnout.cfm

[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 7/5/2011 3:39p).]

i ve been using the same stuff. I guess you are about where I am. Neighbors are the problem and use a "bunch" of acephate and Over N Out. Constant maintenance applications. One guy told me to coat raw oatmeal in acephate and put it around the main mound.

I admit, cutter ants are hardy creatures. Respect em and hate em.

I grew up in Brownsville. Never saw them down there. But they are prevalent around McAllen. Seems wherever there is (was) citrus, cutter ants are not far away.

quote:

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One guy told me to coat raw oatmeal in acephate and put it around the main mound.

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I seriously doubt that this will work but I guess when you are desperate you'll try anything.

I guess that I am really lucky in one regard...I have citrus in the yard but they have never seem to have found those trees. Sometimes I think that they follow the septic tank lines underground but they appear in other places too. My neighbors are very nice and have never said anything about me going on their lot and poisoning the ants.

My pear tree is beginning to drop fruit on the ground and this past weekend (they always show up for that!)I put out a bunch of the In 'n Out around the base of the tree and there dissappeared. They really seem to like those old rotten pears on the ground and just cover them. The enomologist(sp) told me to crush up what they are eating with the In n' Out so they are sure to come into contact with the poison. The poison is not a bait so they don't pick it up but just get it on them and take it back to the nest.(Pears are not eatable so I don't pick them.) I'd cut the tree down but I am afraid they would just go to the citrus trees!

Be sure that you let me (and others) know if you find something that works well and I'll do the same. Those ants mesmerize me but I hate them!

Please excuse my typing...I am old!

[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 7/10/2011 7:17p).]

[This message has been edited by oldvalleyrat (edited 7/10/2011 7:18p).]