Crazy ants are invading parts of the U.S., including Houston

Rasberry crazy ant Rasberry crazy ant Photo: Courtesy Texas AgriLife Extension Photo: Courtesy Texas AgriLife Extension Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Crazy ants are invading parts of the U.S., including Houston 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

According to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, invasive "crazy ants" are slowly displacing fire ants in the southeastern United States. These "Tawny Crazy Ants" have a peculiar predilection toward electronics as well.

"They nest in electronics and create short circuits, as they create a contact bridge between two points when they get electrocuted they release an alarm pheromone," says UT research assistant Edward LeBrun.

"The other ants are attracted to the chemicals that other ants give off," he adds. At this point, more ants arrive and create a larger nest.

These crazy ants do not sting like fire ants. They will bite, but you will not feel it like you would a fire ant sting. Those bites are a hallmark of growing up in Texas.

The tiny invaders have become quite common in the Houston area, first discovered in 2002 by pest control worker Tom Rasberry. He alerted Texas A&M scientists of his discovery.

At one point they were called "Raspberry Crazy Ants" after the pest fighter. The scientific name is Nylanderia fulva, which doesn't quite have the ring of "crazy ants."



The ants should be contained where you find them and then exterminated. They thrive on human movement.

"You shouldn't move them around. They nest in anything, boxes, potted plants," says LeBrun. As the ants travel, they disrupt other ant populations. Their colonies survive, unlike fire ants.

LeBrun adds that there is not much you can do other than call pest control if you have crazy ants. You need chemicals that are not commonly found at the hardware store.

The ants do not consume most of the poison baits that kill fire ant mounds, and there is no other ant population that keeps their numbers in check.