rockin'robin
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Insects Likely Native To South America, Wreaking Havoc
In what sounds like a Hollywood horror movie, hairy crazy ants are invading the southern U.S.
The flea-sized critters are called crazy because of how quickly they scramble around. They're called hairy because of fuzz that, to the naked eye, makes their abdomens look less glossy than those of their slower, bigger cousins, The Associated Press reported.
The biting ants, likely native to South America, are on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
They don't dig out anthills and prefer to nest in sheltered, moist spots and will eat just about anything, plant or animal.
Joe MacGown, who curates the ant, mosquito and scarab collections at the Mississippi State Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University, said his metal camper's walls bulged from the pressure of the ants nesting behind them. A circle of poison stopped them only for a day, then they returned in greater numbers.
"Months later, I could close my eyes and see them moving," MacGown told the AP.
Florida had the ants in about five counties in 2000 but today is up to 20, the AP reported. Nine years after first being spotted in Texas, that state now has them in 18 counties. So far, they have been found in two counties in Mississippi and at least one Louisiana parish, according to the AP.
Hairy 'Crazy Ants' Invade South - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
In what sounds like a Hollywood horror movie, hairy crazy ants are invading the southern U.S.
The flea-sized critters are called crazy because of how quickly they scramble around. They're called hairy because of fuzz that, to the naked eye, makes their abdomens look less glossy than those of their slower, bigger cousins, The Associated Press reported.
The biting ants, likely native to South America, are on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
They don't dig out anthills and prefer to nest in sheltered, moist spots and will eat just about anything, plant or animal.
Joe MacGown, who curates the ant, mosquito and scarab collections at the Mississippi State Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University, said his metal camper's walls bulged from the pressure of the ants nesting behind them. A circle of poison stopped them only for a day, then they returned in greater numbers.
"Months later, I could close my eyes and see them moving," MacGown told the AP.
Florida had the ants in about five counties in 2000 but today is up to 20, the AP reported. Nine years after first being spotted in Texas, that state now has them in 18 counties. So far, they have been found in two counties in Mississippi and at least one Louisiana parish, according to the AP.
Hairy 'Crazy Ants' Invade South - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
