I hate fire ants.

So, who doesn't?

You never forget your first fire ant encounter. A part of your body is unexpectedly set on fire throwing you into a sort of dance with a lot of yelping.

Somehow I avoided fire ants until the late 1980s when I was interviewing Dr. Normie Buehring at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center at Verona. I thought I had just asked a really bad question when he started pulling my arm and yelling at me to move. Then I looked down and saw my shoes covered in ants, followed quickly by a raging pain on both feet. Looking back, I am amazed how quickly I shed shoes, socks and managed to keep my pants on -- much to Dr. Behring’s appreciation, I’m sure.

So, it was with a bit of morbid fascination, I learned of a “virtual museum” that is all about the fire ant.

The Museum of Novel Fire Ant Control Methods and Products pays homage to decades of inventions tried by many in a guerilla warfare battle to rid the earth of the red fire ant.

The museum was created by the Imported Fire Ants Community of Practice, a virtual on-line community of agricultural extension professionals including members of land-grant universities, USDA APHIS and ARS, county and state governments.

The web page catalogs an amazing number of methods and products that “constitute excellent examples of ingenuity in the U.S. and worldwide.” In other words, some of the methods are ridiculous but there is no lack of effort or inspiration when it comes to finding a fire ant killer.

Here’s a sampling of some of the things I learned:

• Although the U.S. had two native fire ant species, they were fairly unnoticed until the alien fire ants arrived by ship in Mobile, Alabama, somewhere between 1918 and the late 1920s. Their official presence was first reported in 1929.

• The little buggers are expert invaders. By 1953, according to a USDA survey, the imported fire ants had invaded 102 counties in 10 states. In 2010, the more aggressive red fire ant has replaced the black imported fire ant and the two native species across the southeastern United States.

• The McCoy Stamper was probably the first non-chemical ant control device. It was actually a windmill built in Lubbock, Texas with the intent to “run over” worker ants as they emerged from the mound. Another favorite of mine is The Antser, a grinder with rotating tines meant to stir the ant beds and throw a little water into the action.

But, I don’t want to have all the fun. Take a look for yourself.