These were South Carolina fire ants and they wanted no part of it.  Probably
because  it didn't scream , jump cuss when the ant bit!
-----Original Message-----
From: Betsy Ilfeld (UND) <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, September 18, 1999 12:02 PM
Subject: Re: freeze-dried snails


>I guess Florida Fire Ants have no class.   They will clean any shell.
>
>
>
>On Sat, 18 Sep 1999, Carol Simpson wrote:
>
>> I had a similar thing happen with a large whelk.  I put it on an any hill
>> and they wouldn't touch it!  Being discouraged, I threw it in the Lake in
>> front of our house when the water was high...having no idea it would stay
>> there.  Three months later, the water level dropped and there was my
whelk
>> (looking sorta ridiculous seeing a knobbed whelk sitting on the shore of
a
>> fresh water lake)
>>
>> There was not one ounce of anything left in it!  I never thought of this
>> method of cleaning shells.  But I'll remember it in the future.  Don't
know
>> if fish or turtles got the meat--probably little fish.
>>
>> Carol
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: G Thomas Watters <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Monday, July 26, 1999 11:02 AM
>> Subject: freeze-dried snails
>>
>>
>> >I recently defrosted a large bag of snails from the beer refrigerator in
>> >the garage. They (the snails, not the beer) have been in there for 14
years
>> >and are quite freeze-dried. I placed them outside to "soften" but they
are
>> >so desiccated that they are still mummified after a month of 90+
>> >temperatures and near 100% humidity. Ants, flies, chipmunks, even the
>> >raccoons won't touch them. I hesitate to "reconstitute" them in water as
I
>> >fear they will turn into a putrifying mess. Has anyone any experience
with
>> >this situation? We're talking big snails - Busycon, Strombus, etc.
>> >
>> >
>> >*****************************************
>> > G Thomas Watters
>> > Ohio Biological Survey &
>> > Aquatic Ecology Laboratory
>> > Ohio State University
>> > 1315 Kinnear Road
>> > Columbus, OH 43212 USA
>> > v: 614-292-6170  f: 614-292-0181
>> >******************************************
>> >
>> >"The world is my oyster except for months with an 'R' in them" -
Firesign
>> >Theater
>> >
>> >"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and
he
>> >has to buy a license" - GTW
>>