Lexington Leader (Lexington, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 453, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 7, 2006 Page: 4 of 20
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LEXINGTON LEADER
Page 4A- Thursday, December 7, 2006
s
Leaf Cutter Ants
From the Chef’s
History Fun
+
Corner
Jim Gober
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»
by Chef Deedle
6 s
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No-Bake
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Almond Bites
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The Robert Otto Family approximately 1910
446-5867
or
Elgin Physical Therapy Clinic
GIDDINGS PHYSICAL
OUTZKIRTS By: David and Doreen Dotson
OUTZKIRTS.COM
THERAPY CLINIC
,7 %
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A
Member American Physical Therapy Assn
95
Letters to Santa
Santa is
waiting to hear
what you’d
like for
' A 6
Christmas!
I
Be sure and include some of your personal artwork too!
We’ll print Santa Letters and Artwork in the December 21 issue.
Deadline for Santa Letters and Artwork is Thursday, December 14, 2006.
05010)2 N%20 5%%K0D20ND 01 ■
005′40
i
j
EWS CEN
in
To help keep holiday snacking on the skinny side, try this
recipe for the holidays.
HOWD YA GET
TWO BLACK EYES?
YA SEE, ONE OF
MY SISTER'S FRIENDS
WAS TALKIN' BOUT
GETTING COSMETIC
SURGERY ON HER LEGS
I GOT 'EM
WHEN I WAS AT
MY SISTER'S HOUSE
Lump
Gardener
I
I
jimgober@isp.com if you would
like more information about this
method of cut ant control.
Although leaf cutter ants make
it challenging to garden in this part
of Texas, it's important to keep in
mind that they keep the soil aer-
ated and fertile and are very ben-
eficial to the ecosystem. They work
the soil and keep it loose for the
wild post oaks that need well-aer-
ated soil. (I suppose some of us
I've seen established nests as
big as an acre. They can move
tons of earth over the years and
harvest thousands of pounds of
leaves. Crater shaped mounds
mark the colonies of leaf cutter ants
and their connecting caverns can
reach 20 feet into the ground. For-
aging trails can extend out 600 feet
from the nest openings. The ants
can strip an entire small tree in one
night. They are especially de-
structive to evergreens during the
winter. The yaupon holly and the
pine tree are two of their favorite
targets in cool weather.
Control of the leafcutter ant is
difficult because they won’t eat
pesticides put on a leaf and their
colonies are so extensive, it’s
tough to find the main mound to
apply chemical control. I've found
bait that is very effective on new
colonies and about 70 % effective
on old established ones. Several
applications may be needed for a
complete kill. Contact me at 512-
and harvest seeds and grasses
from a circular area 6 feet around
their mound. They feed on the
grass and dead insects they col
lect by foraging. They usually
aren't a problem for gardeners and
are a valuable food source for the
Texas Horned Lizard or Horny
Toad.
Jim Gober is a Professional f lo-
rist, Master Gardener and a Texas
Certified Nursery Professional. You
can reach Jim @ 512-446-LUMP of
email jimgoberdo isp.com
His mailbox is outside the Lexington Leader’s office and you can drop your
letters off there!
b
I
Fax: (512)285-2030
(512) 285-4406
M
•sa.
Dr.
1.11
9
C
Lexington Leader
located at 612 Wheatley Street
Downtown on the Square
[e
CANDY CLARK B S . L P T.
PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Wanta share some history?
Send us a picture depicting local history and we’ll
share it with your friends and neighbors in this
column! It’s free and you may even surprise someone
with your snapshot!
— $E
P/E
Edcie
781 E. Brenham St.. Giddings
Serving Lee County Since 1987
Se Habla Espaol
(979)542-0223
Monday-Friday
8:00 am.- 5:00 p.m.
1 before/after hours by appointment I
Candy Clark. LPT
A II ( rthopedic/Neurological Injuries
Wound ('are.
I.Hinted Home Health Services
The Texas Leafcutter Ant has
several names including the Town
Ant. The Parasol Ant, Cut Ant,
Fungus Ant and a myriad of other
names that can’t be printed in a
family newspaper. Working at
night during the summer and the
day in the winter, they can make
quick work of the most beautiful
garden. This time of the year they
seem to be everywhere, cutting
leaves into tiny pieces to carry
back to their underground nests.
They feed the freshly cut plant
material to a fungus they grow for
food. This fungus is their only
known source of nutrition. They
meticulously clean the fungus to
keep it free from pests and molds.
When the ants bring back a leaf
that is toxic to the fungus, the fun-
gus secretes a chemical that tells
, the ant not to bring it any more of
that type of leaf.
A mature colony can contain 2
million ants andean produce thou-
sands of queens who fly away on
moonless spring nights to mate
and form a new colony. The young
queen inserts a small piece of fun-
gus she brought from the old
colony stored in her mouth into
the soil and lays her eggs in it.
She fertilizes the new fungus gar-
den with fecal material until the
new workers hatch. Then, she’ll
eat up to 90 percent of the first
brood to keep the size of the
colony from getting bigger than
the food supply. The young work-
ers will be small, but they begin
cutting leaves and feeding the fun-
gus garden as soon as they are
able, and the colony and ant size
begin to grow rapidly.
1 1
over
my 1
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not a
I bit
into
A
tureef
stub:
abou
shiny
real!
beca
expe
mire
Or
felt .
moul
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in a large bowl, combine the wafer crumbs. % cup
confectioner’s sugar. almonds and cocoa. In a small bowl,
combine the corn syrup. apple juice and extract. Stir into crumb
mixture until well blended Shape into 1 inch balls; roll in re-
maining sugar (optional). To serve. Hatten, and serve with a
spread ofcream cheese, topped with a slice of a fresh straw-
berry or small piece of pineapple or mandarin orange. Great
snack '
600 N. Main I P 0 Box 961
Elgin Texas 78621
might think it’s a little too aerated
when a large nest collapses and
swallows a cow or a tractor.) They
keep natural meadows open in the
middle of a thicket that give deer
and large birds a safe place to con-
gregate. They build their nests in
a series of terraces that can help
prevent erosion on slopes. They
also compete with the fire ants for
space. Don’t confuse leafcutter
ants with Red Harvester Ants.
Harvester ants make a single
mound that looks like a volcano
The Big "
(
t <
r
so, weu, THEN i SAIO, \
HOWD YA V "ON SECOND THOUGHT, I
GET IT IN I YOUR LEGS NEED ALL
' THE OTHER? /\ THE HELP THEY CAN GET • )
I—,
i A62,3
F’4
--
I SAID. "WHY? YOUR
LEGS LOOK GOOD TO ME ’
THEN HER HUSBAND
PUNCHED ME IN THE EYE.
ug
5
6
\ /
T
g.
MLh
% reduced fat vanilla wafers, finely crushed
1 cup confectioner's sugar, divided
% ■ % cup chopped almonds
2 Tbs. baking cocoa
2 l bs, corn syrup
2 Tbs. apple juice
'4 tsp almond extract
—____ ,
3
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Terrell, Cindy. Lexington Leader (Lexington, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 453, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 7, 2006, newspaper, December 7, 2006; Lexington, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1599102/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Giddings Public Library and Cultural Center.