According to news I receive from Texas relatives, their state is being overrun with numerous undesirable animals and insects that may soon be expanding their range to Arkansas. On the other hand, some once-prolific species of creatures are now rarely found in Texas.
Here are the names of some of the encroaching critters: fire ants, killer bees, wild hogs, armadillos, and a different variety of termites that once lived in only coastal areas.
The names of disappearing creatures in Texas include bats, bullfrogs, horned toads, red ants, jackrabbits, and ordinary toads.
Some of the interlopers have already found niches in southern Arkansas, and it would be to our advantage to prevent them from populating our area. One should be very careful, especially with bees. Often killer bees crossbreed with our domestic bees or native bees. They are less picky about where they build their homes, and several beekeepers have suffered severe stings when trying to take in unfamiliar swarms from their swarm-to sites.
Wild hogs, likewise, can be very dangerous as well as destructive. They can eradicate other native animals and wild birds and destroy their habitats. Fire ants often kill off other less-aggressive ants; their beds should be destroyed immediately. Pouring a cup of sugar with 3 tablespoons baking powder mixed in on their beds will usually do the trick, as will salt diluted mixed with some hot water.
Armadillos have been here for quite a few years now. They are lawn and garden pests in that they dig dozens of unsightly holes in both, usually nightly.
Termites such as those extremely destructive ones in some of our damper climates are said to be advancing slowly northward and could cause even more damage than the existing varieties.
The intrusion of these and other creatures, such as the Burmese python and the saltwater crocodile, are causing concern in Florida and other swampland areas.
Some varieties of fish, eels, and gars negatively impact other good fish and require measures to guard against their population explosion. At this time, deep-sea divers are gathering all the "lion fish" in offshore Florida waters that they can find. These are fish alien to Florida waters; they have voracious appetites for other fish, they have no natural enemies, and they are reproducing rapidly.
Unfortunately, through the years people have brought some of the most obnoxious plants from other countries. Tumbleweeds, to which I am allergic, were introduced to the United States from Russia. Other noxious plants were brought in from Japan and China, and include Japanese honeysuckle, kudzu, and quite a few others. Johnson grass was deliberately brought into the United States by a businessman in Texas, I think. The house sparrow originally was brought to the U.S.A., but I cannot remember from where.
Anyway, I expect to see a growing number of extinctions unless the imports of flora and fauna are restricted or monitored more carefully.
-- Louis Houston is a resident of Siloam Springs. His book "The Grape-Toned Studebaker" is available locally and from Amazon.com. Send any questions or comments to [email protected] or call 524-6926. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 07/16/2014