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I just did a service call. Stove power is out.
Sweet old lady lives alone. Felt really bad for her. Sad situation.
I get there and its the worst LFA infestation I've ever seen.
The Meter/distribution panel breakers were clogged with ants and the stove breaker had shorted out because of them. She couldn't understand the urgency and didn't even know there was a problem. I couldn't believe it. I asked her aren't you getting bit? I got the ants raining down on me just from opening the panel cover. Every breaker was just oozing with ants! Several things in the house weren't working and I could even see ants oozing out of the outlets and switch covers inside.
I want to help her but I said you gotta get rid of the ants before I can work on anything. She said " You afraid of the ants?" and I said "YES!"
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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Just want to add that this is FYI.
This is how destructive and even dangerous LFA's can be if left unchecked. This senior citizen is in peril and doesn't understand the importance of dealing with her situation asap. I will do what I can. IMO this house is not even habitable. I don't know how she can even live there. She's a Hoarder and with all the clutter and rubbish in and out of the house its only compounding the situation. I'm thinking I might go by there with some Amdro.
She didn't even know what Amdro was when I mentioned it.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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I had the same experience many years ago when the long legged red ant was everywhere. The electrical boxes were full of dead ants, each got electrocuted trying to recover her dead comrade. The formic acid totally ate up the metal in the sockets and switches, they just fell apart.
Found this interesting aside on formic acid when looking at the next plague headed to Hawaii: crazy ants, and big fire ants.
Formic acid as an antidote to fire ant venom
In March 2014, researchers concluded that formic acid helped tawny crazy ants survive the fire ant venom 98% of the time; when the gland ducts were blocked with nail polish in an experiment, crazy ants had only a 48% chance of surviving fire ant fights.[5] After exposure to fire ant venom, N. fulva retreats, covers itself with formic acid[11] and returns to the fight.[5] This is the first known example of an insect detoxifying another insect's venom, and the first discovery of an ionic liquid in nature[12] which results from mixing of formic acid with venom from S. invicta.
How formic acid acts as an antidote against the much more toxic fire ant's venom is unknown. Fire ant venom is a mixture of toxic alkaloids and proteins that presumably enable the alkaloids to enter rival ants’ cells.[9] Each alkaloid in the fire ant’s venom, including solenopsin, has a six-membered heterocyclic ring with fat-soluble side chains.[9] The researchers who discovered the antidote property of formic acid in crazy ants speculate that the formic acid denatures the proteins in fire ant venom.[5] Another possibility is that the nitrogen on an alkaloid’s heterocyclic ring is protonated, rendering the ionic molecule less lipophilic, thus less likely to penetrate the tawny crazy ant’s cells.[9]
Hawaii is reduced to a tropical pesthole forever so some fools could make a few hundred dollars selling imported potted plants.
Even third world countries are better run.
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You can't fix Samsara.
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Even third world countries are better run.
They don't waste their time arguing about "authorized purchases", that's for sure.
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quote:
Originally posted by kimo wires
Just want to add that this is FYI.
This is how destructive and even dangerous LFA's can be if left unchecked. This senior citizen is in peril and doesn't understand the importance of dealing with her situation asap. I will do what I can. IMO this house is not even habitable. I don't know how she can even live there. She's a Hoarder and with all the clutter and rubbish in and out of the house its only compounding the situation. I'm thinking I might go by there with some Amdro.
She didn't even know what Amdro was when I mentioned it.
Kimo - sounds like a more substantial intervention is needed there - that kind of electrical situation is life-threatening. Not sure whether they could do anything, but it might be worth a call to the Hawaii County Office on Aging to talk to someone there. They may have a program for elders in need of support services or be able to pass the information on to an office that does. Also came across this on the county web page:
Karen Kotaki, Community Service Program Assistant I Kea`au Community Center
Coordinated Services for the Elderly
Kea`au Community Center
16-186 Pili Mua Street, Kea`au, HI 96749 - Map
Mailing address: 1055 Kino`ole Street, Suite 106, Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: (808) 966-5800
Fax: (808) 966-5811
TTY: (808) 961-8025
Email: csepuna@hawaiicounty.gov
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Oh my, it just occurred to me that the next electrical code will require $60.00 ant proof switches in all new construction if the manufactures and the insurance companies hear about an isolated case of ant damage.
More about government lamenting the lack of affordable housing, and hand wringing later.
"Even third world countries are better run." You mean like New Jersey?
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Give Big Island Invasive Species Committe a call
http://www.biisc.org/
They might be willing to help people who are in this serious of a situation and are unable to resolve it themselves. They will go to properties and treat them for people and in some cases they will cover the costs.
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I have no helpful suggestions but just wanted to say good on you Kimo for doing something. I rented a place once and had an elderly neighbor who was a hoarder, house was a mess. I ended up mowing her lawn when I did mine every week to help her out. I found out a guy down the street, who would stop in occasionally for a visit, pilfered checks from her and forged/cashed them. It took awhile but I finally got her to do something about it and tell her grandson about it (lived in another state).
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Thanks for suggestions.
I called BIISC but seems they are mainly agricultural inspectors.
Also left a message with Keaau Community Center for Elderly explaining the situation.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
