Ant Infestation Closes Athens Park

Some visiting teams have come to play in the Athens Regional Park, and these little guys aren't here for Soccer.

Fire ants have taken over the athletic complex.

"It's just like an invasion all of a sudden," says Parks and Recreation Director Austin Fesmire.

In just 24 hours, more than fifty ant hills have popped up on the soccer turf.

"As a matter of fact one of our employees noticed them," says Fesmire. "He was kneeling down to clip a net on and he noticed one biting him on his leg and saw the first mound."

Fesmire has never seen anything like it.

Thousands of ants slowly migrating across five acres of park.

Thursday work crews planted red flags to mark each mound.

The crew eventually ran out of flags and had to retreat to get more.

"Normally they're on the sidewalks where things are warm, but they've just taken over the whole complex," he says.

On Friday the park will be applying a special pesticide that should take care of this problem within 72 hours.

Until then, practices and games are suspended.

The ants are slowly making their way to a nearby playground.

Fesmire says they'll be wiped out before they make it that far.