CBS: Cowboys fullback Lawrence Vickers yanked from practice with fire ants in his pants

[SWFLSkins]

the thing that makes me laugh is that it happened to a cowboys player

How the heck did they get in there?

No dude, I've never had this happen, but this isn't something I'd wish upon anyone (well, maybe John Mara ).

I know people like to laugh about this and it is funny in a way, but I had this happen to me and I don't wish this on anyone. I was playing a very competitive game of horseshoes, in a park, our team lost by one point. Went over to the cooler, grabbed a cold beer and went and sat down at an oak tree still talking about the game with my partner. The next the I realized that fire ants were all over me and up my pants. There had to be thousands of them. I know from living here not to hit them with liquid. I pulled down my pants and was running around in my underwear trying to get them off of me when somebody hit me with cold water. They instantly started to all bite me and I had a reaction to the number of bites and had trouble breathing. Good thing that an EMT was hanging with us and he had his gear which included an epi-pen and liquid benedryl sic, Anyway it hurt like hell and much of the bites blistered up and where located on my inner thighs, you know that tender skin. Man, I will never sit down or stand around without looking down for those litte sum ****es again. And yes I still want God-dell to sit there, but I feel for the Cowboy player.

---------- Post added June-10th-2012 at 02:22 PM ----------

I was introduced to fire ants right away on island and they are freaking nasty. I would have yanked my pants off and sat in the gatoraid.

KB it seems that the latch onto you with any liquid contact. Any experience I have had with them now is brushing them off as best and quickly as possible, while not freaking out. The bite less when they are not completely agitated. I will say this thanks to AMDRO fire ant killer I have not had any in my yard for years.

---------- Post added June-10th-2012 at 02:24 PM ----------

FACTS ON FIRE ANTS

Fire ants are social insects that nest in giant colonies in the soil.

A colony can contain up to 200,000 ants. Sounds more like an army if you ask us.

They vary in size, but all are capable of stinging. In other words, every single ant is a threat.

Fire ants feed on a wide range of foods including insects, honeydew, plant nectar, seeds, fruits, and dead animals. They love foods high in fat. So be careful with those potato chips.

Workers create underground tunnels that extend up to 25 feet away from the mound. Sneaky little suckers.

They are more common in the South and Southeast because northern soil temperatures make it tough to survive the winters. Lucky Yankees.

Fire ants have zero respect for personal property.

FRom Amdro.com

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ant

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In just seventy years, according to a study published in 2009, lizards in parts of the United States had developed longer legs and new behaviors to escape the ants, which can kill the lizard in under a minute.[6]

[edit]Symptoms and treatment

The venom of fire ants is composed of alkaloids such as piperidine (see Solenopsis saevissima). The sting swells into a bump, which can cause much pain and irritation at times, especially when caused by several stings in the same place. The bump often forms into a white pustule, which can become infected if scratched, but if left alone will usually flatten within a few days. The pustules are obtrusive and uncomfortable while active and, if they become infected, can cause scarring. Some people are allergic to the venom, and as with many allergies, may experience anaphylaxis, which requires emergency treatment.[7] An antihistamine or topical corticosteroids may help reduce the itching[citation needed]. First aid for fire ant bites includes external treatments and oral medicines.

External treatments: a topical steroid cream (hydrocortisone), or one containing aloe vera[8]

Oral medicines: antihistamines

Severe allergic reactions to fire ant stings, including severe chest pain, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, and slurred speech,[9] can be fatal if not treated.

[SuperBash]

The Cowboys got Vickers? That's not good for the Redskins. A top 5 FB will do wonders for your running game.

[ACW]

The Cowboys got Vickers? That's not good for the Redskins. A top 5 FB will do wonders for your running game.

This may hurt Foster's fantasy value.

[frostyj]

Oh it is quite painful. I just think back of the times that I was attacked by fire ants, and thinking of how quickly they cover whatever area they are attacking. I'll put it this way once you've felt the first bite you'll have hundreds of these things covering the area. It is incredible how fast hundreds of these things basically swarm. We watched a colony devour an entire frog in a matter of minutes when I was in North Carolina.

I was hooking up a chain to my truck down in GA, was under the truck and unknowingly had my elbow on a small nest. Seems they all bite at once when the first one does. I felt the bites looked at my arm and it was covered from my armpit to my wrist. I hit my head a few times and busted my hand trying to get out from under the truck. My entire arm was full with welts. What amazes me is you don't feel them until they bite, crazy how that many ants can get on you without feeling them.

Don't wish this one anyone, but its funny after to talk about it.

[Titaw]

One of my many experiences went like this:

It around day 3 of Marine Corps Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. I was already intimidated as all hell and I didn't want to do anything to get noticed by the DIs. We were in PT formation and we all had to sit in place. Unbeknownst to me I was sitting on a fire and mound and when I felt the first bite I looked down and my left leg was covered from ass cheek to foot in fire ants. I sprang up and bean to swat them off. This got the DI's attention, who immediately made a B-line to me yelling his head off. "Recruit, what the #$#% are you doing? What the #%#$ is your problem?" I yelled back, "$#%$in FIRE ANTS, SIR!" He The other recruits around me jumped up, took off their shirts and began smacking me with their shirts. This pissed the DI off and he flew into a frezy of obscenities talking about bearing and the likes. All of the other recuits stopped helping me and the DI proceeds to slam his hand into the mound, trying to make some sort of point. The ants proceeded to turn him into their #$%^# and unbeknownst to him he was allergic to them. Neddless to say the point he made was crystal clear, DON'T #$^# WITH FIRE ANTS!

[Kindred]

hmmm smells like a prank.

[Hitman21ST]

One of my many experiences went like this:

It around day 3 of Marine Corps Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. I was already intimidated as all hell and I didn't want to do anything to get noticed by the DIs. We were in PT formation and we all had to sit in place. Unbeknownst to me I was sitting on a fire and mound and when I felt the first bite I looked down and my left leg was covered from ass cheek to foot in fire ants. I sprang up and bean to swat them off. This got the DI's attention, who immediately made a B-line to me yelling his head off. "Recruit, what the #$#% are you doing? What the #%#$ is your problem?" I yelled back, "$#%$in FIRE ANTS, SIR!" He The other recruits around me jumped up, took off their shirts and began smacking me with their shirts. This pissed the DI off and he flew into a frezy of obscenities talking about bearing and the likes. All of the other recuits stopped helping me and the DI proceeds to slam his hand into the mound, trying to make some sort of point. The ants proceeded to turn him into their #$%^# and unbeknownst to him he was allergic to them. Neddless to say the point he made was crystal clear, DON'T #$^# WITH FIRE ANTS!

First off, Semper Fi.

Secondly: ouch, man, I feel for you (and your DI). I remember hearing (luckily not on the receiving end of, though) many a bearing "instruction". I came close though, from almost laughing more than once during another Candidate's (Officer Candidate School) chewing. I can't imagine running into fire ants though. I'm assuming he got treatment quickly?

[TSO]

This thread is quite the itch-inducer. :twitch:

[PokerPacker]

I'm sure that a legit prescription will be excused.

has to go through the league first. Packers DL Mike Neal is battling a 4-game suspension because he was on Adderal--which is not performance-enhancing--because he didn't go through the league with it. He had a prescription, just didn't know it was a banned substance that he needed league permission to use.

As for insects in sporting equipment, I had a hockey teammate who had a wasp in his equipment once. He was on the ice when he noticed and he came straight to the bench and started stripping down because that is not a fun experience.

[stwasm]

I know people like to laugh about this and it is funny in a way, but I had this happen to me and I don't wish this on anyone. I was playing a very competitive game of horseshoes, in a park, our team lost by one point. Went over to the cooler, grabbed a cold beer and went and sat down at an oak tree still talking about the game with my partner. The next the I realized that fire ants were all over me and up my pants. There had to be thousands of them. I know from living here not to hit them with liquid. I pulled down my pants and was running around in my underwear trying to get them off of me when somebody hit me with cold water. Ect.

Besides sanitary reasons, this is why you NEVER sit on the ground!

[PCS]

Been hit by those little suckers myself in the past.Ouch doesn't cover it.

[pjfootballer]

Besides sanitary reasons, this is why you NEVER sit on the ground!

Sanitary reasons? Did not you not every play in the dirt as a little boy? I spent most of my life as a child, playing, laying or sitting on the ground. That's why we have a generation of kids these days that are allergic to everything. Parents don't let them build up immunities. A little dirt don't hurt.

[stwasm]

Sanitary reasons? Did not you not every play in the dirt as a little boy? I spent most of my life as a child, playing, laying or sitting on the ground. That's why we have a generation of kids these days that are allergic to everything. Parents don't let them build up immunities. A little dirt don't hurt.

But, as has been proven, you never know what you may be sitting in, whether it's fire ants or fecal matter. Plus, there's a difference between "playing in the dirt" and actually choosing to sit on the ground leisurely. If given the choice, I'd rather stand.

[Morneblade]

I got mobbed by fire ants as a kid. I don't wish it on anyone, even a Cowboy. They are brutal.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Fire ant bites are excruciating. I've been bitten each summer I've lived in Texas and it's awful.

The worst part is that no one gets bitten once. You are going to fave fifteen to twenty bites if you are lucky before you get the damn things off you.

---------- Post added June-11th-2012 at 12:00 PM ----------

hmmm smells like a prank.

Only a sociopath would do that to another person. People can die from those things.

[SWFLSkins]

Besides sanitary reasons, this is why you NEVER sit on the ground!

I sit on the ground all the time, I have kids, but I never sit down ever or just stand around without looking down for those crazy mean ants. I have seen people just stand there and get attacked, they are on you before you know it and when you freak they bite. As I said no water and no freaking out seems to help, just brush them off as calmly and easy as you can. As someone else said they all bite at the same time like they communicate or sense fear.

[Titaw]

First off, Semper Fi.

Secondly: ouch, man, I feel for you (and your DI). I remember hearing (luckily not on the receiving end of, though) many a bearing "instruction". I came close though, from almost laughing more than once during another Candidate's (Officer Candidate School) chewing. I can't imagine running into fire ants though. I'm assuming he got treatment quickly?

Semper Fi! The Corpsmen were already on their way when they saw me doing the "fire ant shuffle", so when the DI got lit up he was hit with an epi-pen when he showed the first sign of an allergic reaction.

[Kindred]

Fire ant bites are excruciating. I've been bitten each summer I've lived in Texas and it's awful.

The worst part is that no one gets bitten once. You are going to fave fifteen to twenty bites if you are lucky before you get the damn things off you.

---------- Post added June-11th-2012 at 12:00 PM ----------

Only a sociopath would do that to another person. People can die from those things.

Or an idiot. The cowboys arent the sharpest rocks in a quarry.

[stwasm]

I sit on the ground all the time, I have kids, but I never sit down ever or just stand around without looking down for those crazy mean ants. I have seen people just stand there and get attacked, they are on you before you know it and when you freak they bite. As I said no water and no freaking out seems to help, just brush them off as calmly and easy as you can. As someone else said they all bite at the same time like they communicate or sense fear.

Do you sit on the ground, then go inside and sit on your furniture? Why bring those germs indoors? That's my point about sanitary reasons.

[Koolblue13]

Do you sit on the ground, then go inside and sit on your furniture? Why bring those germs indoors? That's my point about sanitary reasons.

Heck yes. I go work on my car and roll around on the ground, then go inside and sit down. I walk back from sitting on the beach and then go inside and sit down, I play with my puppy rolling around on the ground and then go inside and sit down.

Who in the hell lives in such a sanitary world, that they won't sit on the ground? Dude, go to the park, play in the creek and sit on some rocks once in a while. It's nice out.

[SWFLSkins]

Do you sit on the ground, then go inside and sit on your furniture? Why bring those germs indoors? That's my point about sanitary reasons.

NO. I live in a cave so there is no harm to the furniture. We air dry our clothes after beating them on rocks and brush our teeth with palm fronds. (sarcasm off) No after playing outdoors and rolling around in grass, I usually swim in my pool or change my clothes. Hope that helps.

[SirClintonPortis]

Just reading the title got me squirming, and I don't even know what a fire ant looks like (or forgot)

[arundelredskin]

When they play us there will be alot ants in their pants,but whats their next excuse