Its Official – Moving to Florida

Wow, nothing better than hockey when the dew point is 75

Hope all goes well!!

When we lived in Texas we discovered and seen and heard things that fire ants can do. Their bites aren’t indivually as bad as some have heard, just a little bump like a small blister, but as a group of many fire ants climbing all over what their on is another story. Dogs, cats and whatever, if they happen to wander and step into a fire ants mound, those ants will attack by the thousands, litterly.

Heres a couple stories about what fire ants can do and I have seen two of these in person. When we first moved to texas my uncle killed a big snake that was living under his shed. he cut it in half with a shovel. I went to his house the next day and he told me to come look at this snake and try to identify it. We went to where the snake was killed and by the very next day all that was left of this snake was the outer thin membrane that looks like when a snake sheds its outer skin, the rest was gone in 24 hours. Those ants completely cleaned and carried away what was edible of that snake back to their tunnels.

Another example is a baby bird fell from its nest and the ants promptly cleaned this baby bird up the same way, all that was left was the inedible parts that the ants didn’t wan’t.

One more example is guys that fish for sharks along the coast will take the head and bury it next to a fire ant mound along the beach and come back in a few days to retrieve the jaw and head. They take a stick and dig out the bones from the mound that the ants, in just a few days have covered, and the bones will be picked clean, just as clean as if you would have boiled them to get all the flesh off. The statement that nothing goes to waste is no under statement when it comes to those little ants. These ants aren’t big and infact they are small and maybe an 1/8th of an inch long. Just be careful of where you step because if you step in a mound there will be thousands of ants on your foot and then your leg in a matter of a few seconds, no exaggeration. The only thing that worked for us to get rid of the mounds was gasoline poured over their mounds, nothing else worked or worked slowly to get rid of them. Obviously you have to watch your pets and where they step and check your yard regularly for new mounds, they pop up over night. Good luck Pug and when your along water watch for moccasins and copperheads all the time, it will become second nature.

Mossy, I am sorry I brought it up. You really know how to reassure a guy! LOL

The other thing with fire ants I have heard is they will silently crawl en mass onto a threat and then one will fart a pheromone and they all bite basically simultaneously.

mplspug wrote:

Then there are the omnipresent cockroaches.

…or as my grandpa in Fort Myers calls them, palmetto bugs. Sounds much more pleasant.

Ah yes, I will call them Palm Meadow bugs.

mplspug wrote:

I will always be mplspug. Except now it will be truly pronounced MipplesPug, as opposed to Minneapolis pug.

Actuallyt I am considering changing my name here to FloridaMan in recognition of the great Florida Man headline jokes.

Twitter @_FloridaMan
Reddit – FloridaMan – Credit to my boss for this link
HuffPo (ew) Found by Google Search

I may have missed it but why are you moving there?

I could give a long, long list of reasons. The shortest possible reason I can give is that ever since I was a teenager who visited my brother stationed in Jacksonville, I have wanted to live there.

Other reasons include the weather (yes I like oppressive tropical heat), bass fishing, the natural areas, adventure of everything being new…

Well actually the #1 reason is that Michelle actually brought it up. I guess since I was a kid I sort of gave up or didn’t give another thought to moving. This winter Michelle said she was done and I told her the only place I would move would be Florida.

You are right about fire ants. Way of life. I was messing around with them last year in Florida showing my wife how fast they are when you disturb them. Scary fast. Science fiction fast. Oh, and I like to “disturb” gators when I get the chance too….

Way back when I visited my brow I was fishing the pond at his apartment and stepped on a small mount. I realized in time to only be stung a few times, but it still hurt.

Our friend down there was sitting on a bench and got the heck stung out of him on the chest. He didn’t realize they were there until they started zapping.

My sister in law was in a car accident and they took her out and accidentally set her down on a nest!

Of all the things people name off to watch out for, most never mention fire ants, yet they are your most likely encounter.

1st order of business when we get there is checking the yard. I don’t need dogs afraid to do their business in the grass because fire ants got to them.

Good luck pug. After reading all the posts about fire ants,snakes,gators,etc. sounds like you will need it.

Florida where everything wants to kill you…

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He may actually be THE Florida Man.

I am in a dilemma now. I originally thought I would leave my truck behind and have it shipped in a couple months or so. The thing only has 90K miles on it. And my friends told me stories of it costing $500-$800 to have them shipped. Well, not I checked and it is more like $1,300-1,600? Does that sound right?

Now I don’t know if I should sell it and just get one down there. I am hoping maybe a brother can keep it until I can figure out what to do. The truck is old, but I think it has a lot of years left and eventually I’ll need a truck for a boat.

And there is no way I am driving it down there, at least not now. We are already taking 2 cars and that thing gets horrible gas mileage.

On another note, I was hoping to find online fishing some of the ponds around, but there isn’t much info at all. I’ll have to do some recon and possibly look foolish to the natives doing so.

My first few trips may be to some of the stocked ponds. Orlando has 4 stocked ponds that are stocked mainly with, BK you listening, channel cats. But they also have bass and small panfish. I’ll probably have to check out the local municipalities for parks with piers as well.

Good luck with the New Adventure, Mike! My brother lives down there. I will have to look you up when I am down visiting.

Sounds like a plan. What part of Florida?

Our delivery truck doesn’t make it until after labor day, so I might have to go do a little scouting. I know nothing about the seasonal patterns down there, but I imagine the bass might be a little tough to catch in smaller bodies of water this time of the year unless I hit it early in the morning or after a rain, but that is just a hunch.

If you need a place to leave / park the truck for a while get in touch with me. I have room in the back in a fenced area. BK has my cell number.

Good luck with the new adventure!

I just might take you up on that! I’ll have to see what happens this weekend. My brother was talking about driving it down when he comes later this year. He’d probably store at his cabin, but he’s tearing it down and building a new one.

Wishing you and Michele the best of luck on your move and endeavors Mike. Be sure to keep us Yankee’s informed on your new adventures. Good luck,bud.

hmmm this must be the mplspug that fell out of BK’s boat? I swear I read that in a story somewhere…? Either way be sure to not fall in the ocean and enjoy the weather for us all! lucky…

timschmitz wrote:

Florida where everything wants to kill you…

hahaha crazy!

Best of luck Pug! I know you’ve been talking about his for quite sometime. It’s always a little nerve wracking going thru a big relocation like that but also very exciting! Too bad there never was the Medicine lake gtg on the ice!

Again congrats and enjoy the warmth this winter.

Thanks for all the well wishes.

TripleA, I never fell out of Brian’s boat, although he has told me to sit down several times when the boat was moving. I also got out of his boat voluntarily when he was already in the water to help get uds off a sand bar.

I fell out of my nephews boat. Stay seated and wear a pfd!

Pug would never have fallen out of my boat. Every time he stands up (to help watch for sunken trees, I say…”Pug sit your ass down, you’re going to fall in”.

Apparently Pugs nephew didn’t know that magical line.

Looks like you’ll be at home Mike!

Polish Beer in Florida<<

Good luck Pug,

I’d invest in a gigantic air conditioner. My mom just moved down there to Punta Gorda. She likes it other than the heat, hurricanes, sink holes, tomatoes won’t grow there, gators, snakes, and Iowa Hawkeye fans…

Good luck, but I think it’s BS that you’re moving. BK is going to be depressed…

Good luck, pug!

Did anyone warm me about the panthers?

Sure, distract me with the obvious dangers so I can be mauled waking down to the Saint John’s River.

Best if everything on the move Pug. By the way, I’ve heard those big cats down that way don’t eat former Minnesotans….too tough maybe, eh?

mplspug wrote:

Good luck too you in your new endeavors. Can I suggest your new handle as flpug or sunpug.

It’s so Obvious,

MiamiPug….What else?