The spread of these ants is slow but unfortunately progressive. I didn't realize that fire ants had gotten up to LA. I hadn't actually said that fire ants were not in any of CA, but I admit that I hadn't realized that they were already down there. Us northern Californians tend to think of southern CA as another state anyway! ltilton, I misread again. I see that the OP did mention mounds and lots of red ants in the initial post. I got distracted by the second post and the red soil thing. I would like to point out that my prescription for irradication exactly matches that found in the 'fire ants in California (UC Davis)' link above. My addition was not to kill other ants because they will fight to keep fire ants away. These methods are the official methods taught by all ag extension agents in North Carolina counties.

She was back when I got home last night. I think something needs to be done about the porch. It's only got a railing around it. It works fine for the cat that was raised from a kitten in the house but there's a big difference between that and a stray cat. We can't just close the door off because the cat and dog use it to come inside out of the cold.

In your TOP VIEW picture the two white rectangles are valves that turn to bypass the appliance. Right now, they are both pointing to the control valve. That is the in service position. Turn both white rectangles 90 degrees so they point at each other. That is the bypass position. In that position no service water will enter the appliance. Living on a well requires some learning and maintenance and responsibility because you don't just want the water nice you have to make the water SAFE. Get a water test from an independent lab. An independent lab has no agenda and won't be trying to sell you water treatment equipment. Go to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/labs/index.html to locate a certified lab near you. This is a MUST DO because without it everything is a guess. A quickie water test from Sears or a water softener company won't be as accurate (and possibly not as competent) as from a certified independent lab. Hit the Yellow Pages and call at least three local water treatment pros. Make sure you call at least one of the big dogs like Kinetico or Culligan for comparison and at least a couple independent pros. DON'T TELL THEM YOU HAD YOUR WATER TESTED. Give each an opportunity to offer suggestions and provide you with a quote to meet your water treatment needs. IGNORE ANY THAT DON'T TEST YOUR WATER THEMSELVES as they can't speak intelligently to water treatment without knowing what needs to be treated. Ask lots of questions. Softening the entire house or just the water heater (IMO a bad idea)? Warranty, parts & labor or just parts, how long and on exactly what? Install, permits required, licensed plumber? Routine maintenance and costs? Do they stock parts? Response time for emergency (water leak) calls? If they don't explain things to your satisfaction that is a good indicator of how you'll be treated after the sale. After they've gone use your water test to compare with theirs. Are all your treatment needs being addressed? Ask your neighbors if they have any water treatment experience. They might tell you who's good or who to avoid. Come back here and post the specific recommendations and hardware components with the costs and we'll give you our opinions.

Hi again, just another thought about the frogs and tadpoles. Given your pond is very new, there might not be much for you little tadpoles to eat when they hatch. Algae and decaying plant matter after they finish with the spawn jelly, and after they get legs they get look for meat, and your bug and microorganism population won't be that terrific yet so it is more likely they would look to one another for breakfast. (They do that anyway, but less if there is a variety of options). So two options--give the spawn back to your sister for this year, or take it indoors to rear until they get legs and hope the pond has matured enough by then. Boiled iceberg lettuce works to keep them going as food source indoors when they are big and active, and keeps in the freezer. The wildlife will come and thrive when the conditions are right and that won't take long, and you are on the road to have the most fantastic wildlife site. I dug my pond the same time of year as you, and as a frog fantatic, was desperate for frogs. The day after fillling, there was a pondskater already trying it out from somewhere. By spring after the planting had taken off, the bug population took off, and so did the blanket weed. Stuck a few stickelback in (4) and they provided some wildlife interest for the first summer, and by June there were visiting frogs and toads. In fact, I am sure I saw a newt by the end of the first summer, but convinced myself it was a big stickelback. When spawning season came a year later, there were 30 out there and 6 clumps of spawn--and we have not looked back. Put a birdfeeder up and the variety of birds that come to the pond is incredible. And of course there are the dragonflies which will find your pond this summer, and you will gradually see the results of that next spring for the damselflies, and over the next 3 years for the big guys. And by that time, the newts, frogs and toads have shown they are here to stay. Must admit, I am a stickelback fan as they are a native species, too small to attract heron, but provide fry for everyone else and only eat a few of the tadpoles. They also provide food for a kingfisher who comes from the river a mile away (see thread of unexpected visitor). I think having a branch or something to perch on helps. Stickelback are also fun to watch during breeding season, as the males do all the work making nests, attracting females, guarding the eggs--dab hand at multi-tasking! The plant pots and marginals in your sisters pond provide that shallow area and help with with food chain. Clever little guys to find eeny weeny ladders too! Have fun--