Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Austin is invaded by Zombies, details at 11.

So I'm reading a Sacramento news site and I find a link about Zombies in Austin, Texas. Obviously I absolutely HAD to click on the link.

Apparently someone hacked into a digital city traffic alert sign and posted the following message on the sign.

Remember, NEVER use a flamethrower against Zombies. Having a horde of Zombies milling around outside your house is not nearly as bad as having a horde of FLAMING Zombies.

I would have never though of that Theo.

Man you learn the best stuff on Pond Boss.

You, and I guess folks in and around Austin, could use a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide. It's regular reading in the Gallus household.

I bought The Zombie Survival Guide when my wife and I first had kids.

Only in Austin.

+1

Probably just my ex inlaws prowling the woods for snacks again.

That can't be Austin TX - there is moisture in the air.

Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird"

I read that article and think I might be infected.Donations are being accepted for medical treatment.

That's all we need, an undead, chainsaw wielding, explosive packing, beer drinking, TomG loose in Texas. The check is in the mail. You Texans better give 'till it hurts.

The Texas legislature must have been in session. No shortage of ghouls, all night zombies, werewolves, vampires and other blood suckers.

Bad news dept...JHAP,your check bounced.
Worse news dept...DD1 captured me and is shipping me to S.Califonia.

St. Louis was attacked by the Zombies yesterday!!


LMAO

Originally posted by TomG:

Not to worry, you'll fit right in.

Yeah Tom, maybe Bruce will loan you his hat.

The hackers have hit several cities/states...MO and IL recently. I think it's one of the best pranks I've seen in a while!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAYBIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!

29 is such an innocent age.

Wow. How'd you know how old I am??
Thanks, Sunil. Looking forward to seeing you all again in Branson this summer!!

Im glad you guys have such faith in me.

WOAH, turns out the signs were right! I found this in the Sacramento news today:

The headline:

New Weapon Turns Fire Ants Into Zombies.


The story:

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Researchers in Texas are trying an unusual approach to combat fire ants -- deploying parasitic flies that turn the pesky and economically costly insects into zombies whose heads fall off.

The biting, territorial fire ants cost the Texas economy about $1 billion annually by damaging electrical equipment, according to a Texas A&M study. They can also threaten young calves.

But now the researchers are trying a tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants originated. Researchers have learned that fire ants in their home region are kept under control by as many as 23 phorid species.

The flies lay eggs on the fire ants, and the eggs hatch into maggots inside the ant and eat away at the pest's tiny brain.

The ant will get up and wander for about two weeks while the maggot feeds, said Rob Plowes, a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin.

"There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly," he said.

About a month after the egg is laid, the ant's head falls off -- and a new fly emerges ready to attack another fire ant.

"They're not going to completely wipe out the fire ant, but it's a way to control their population," said Scott Ludwig, an integrated pest management specialist with Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service in Overton, in East Texas.

Four phorid species have been introduced in the state since 1999. They don't attack native ants or other species and have been introduced in other Gulf Coast states, Plowes told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

But it will take time to determine if the flies are effective in Texas, perhaps as long as a decade.

"It's not an immediate silver-bullet impact," Plowes said.

Hope it works. I only got nailed 6 or 8 times when I was down there and that was enough!