'Crazy' Ants Driving Out Fire Ants in Southeast

Foxrac

Foxrac

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Invasive fire ants have been a thorn in the sides of Southerners for years. But another invasive species, the so-called "crazy" ant — that many describe as being worse — has arrived and is displacing fire ants in several places.

"When you talk to folks who live in the invaded areas, they tell you they want their fire ants back," said Edward LeBrun, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, in a statement from the school. "Fire ants are in many ways very polite. They live in your yard. They form mounds and stay there, and they only interact with you if you step on their mound."

Crazy ants, on the other hand, "go everywhere," invading homes and nesting in walls and crawlspaces, even damaging electrical equipment by swarming inside appliances.

A study published in the April issue of the journal Biological Invasions found that in areas infested with crazy ants, few to no fire ants were present. Exactly how they are able to outcompete fire ants is so far unknown. In areas with crazy ants, the researchers also found greatly diminished numbers of native ant species, according to the study.

Fire ants are known for their painful stings and have spread through the Southeast since arriving from South America in the 1930s. Crazy ants were first discovered in Houston in 2002, and they have already spread to coastal areas from Texas to Florida, according to the researchers. Although the "crazies" don't have as painful a sting as fire ants, they multiply in even greater numbers. They are also difficult to control since they don't eat the same poison baits as fire ants do, the statement noted.

Last year, the crazy ant species was identified as Nylanderia fulva, which hails from northern Argentina and southern Brazil, according to a 2012 study in PLOS ONE. It's also known as the tawny crazy ant and was previously named the Rasberry crazy ant after the exterminator Tom Rasberry, who first discovered it. The "crazy" moniker comes from the ant's quick, seemingly random movements.

Luckily, the crazy ant doesn't spread as quickly as the fire ant, advancing only 650 feet (200 meters) per year on its own, the release noted. Therefore, it's vital that people don't accidentally transport the ant, the prime method by which it has spread, according to the release.
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'Crazy' Ants Driving Out Fire Ants in Southeast | LiveScience

Oh wow, I think that I will miss fire ants if crazy ants are spreading over southeastern states. :(
 
I have one of those. Every family get together we have she brings this green jello marshmallow dish. It seriously looks toxic. She likes to talk about how she nearly got abducted by an alien that looked like Elvis to anyone that will listen (I just turn my hearing aids off and nod "yup, yup, yup")
 
Steinhauer said:
I have one of those. Every family get together we have she brings this green jello marshmallow dish. It seriously looks toxic. She likes to talk about how she nearly got abducted by an alien that looked like Elvis to anyone that will listen (I just turn my hearing aids off).
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I think you are sarcastic. :hmm:

I recall about documentary from Animal Planet about one family from Marietta, GA have deal with Argentine ants infestation. They are extremely difficult to eradicate.

If you see one, fire ants, black ants or more rare Argentine ants.
 
Foxrac said:
I think you are sarcastic. :hmm:

I recall about documentary from Animal Planet about one family from Marietta, GA have deal with Argentine ants infestation. They are extremely difficult to eradicate.

If you see one, fire ants, black ants or more rare Argentine ants.
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Oh! :shock:

I thought you meant crazy aunts!!
 
Texas has fire ants there... and have been bitten before... it's no fun. You see a bunch of fire ant hills in much of your yards. It's impossible to get rid of them... every time you mow the grass you piss them off. Once you take down the anthill, they will build another one, so on.. there's no stopping.
 
Calvin said:
Texas has fire ants there... and have been bitten before... it's no fun. You see a bunch of fire ant hills in much of your yards. It's impossible to get rid of them... every time you mow the grass you piss them off. Once you take down the anthill, they will build another one, so on.. there's no stopping.
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I had sting by fire ants before and it was painful.

We can to get fire ants under control by treat them with chemical and they didn't come back, but popped in other neighborhood's yard.

They are not bad when compare to crazy ants because crazy ants will go in your home and infest anywhere, especially destroy the electrical stuff. Fire ants know to pop the mounds but they didn't go in home.

You will see crazy ants if you are from Houston area.
 
Getting stung by a cow killer is extremely painful. Your whole limb feels like it is on fire.

I passed out - everything went white as I stared into the void. I even saw my dead grandpa telling me to wake up - surreal experience.
 
Steinhauer said:
I got stung by a cow killer last year and went into anyphylaxis shock for the very first time in my life. I have to carry an epipen with me everywhere I go now. These are an invasive species to Georgia too and i wonder if it is the "crazy ant" (they are ants) Look at the stinger on that bad boy.

Flickriver: Most interesting photos tagged with cowkillerant
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Oh wow, too many different ants.

Have you seen brown recluse spiders? I think you live in brown recluse spider territory. They are easily confused with southern house spiders. I found brown spiders in our house and caught it for examine so turned it was southern house spider due to no violin shaped on top.
 
That's where I used to live. :)

Foxrac said:
I had sting by fire ants before and it was painful.

We can to get fire ants under control by treat them with chemical and they didn't come back, but popped in other neighborhood's yard.

They are not bad when compare to crazy ants because crazy ants will go in your home and infest anywhere, especially destroy the electrical stuff. Fire ants know to pop the mounds but they didn't go in home.

You will see crazy ants if you are from Houston area.
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Foxrac said:
Oh wow, too many different ants.

Have you seen brown recluse spiders? I think you live in brown recluse spider territory. They are easily confused with southern house spiders. I found brown spiders in our house and caught it for examine so turned it was southern house spider due to no violin shaped on top.
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I had a friend who was bit on the calf by one. When he went to the doctor, they thought it was cancer because the skin was rotting off.

Those are serious nasty spiders. :shock:

They are brown spindly spiders about the size of a dime (yes, we have them and yes I have killed a few). I wear leather gloves when I am working on the yard.
 
Steinhauer said:
I had a friend who was bit on the calf by one. When he went to the doctor, they thought it was cancer because the skin was rotting off.

Those are serious nasty spiders. :shock:

They are brown spindly spiders about the size of a dime (yes, we have them and yes I have killed a few). I wear leather gloves when I am working on the yard.
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Yes, brown recluse spider infestation is more based on area specific and I live in brown recluse spider territory but... none of them live in our house so we only see southern house spiders.

Of course, they are very nasty spider. I never seen those spiders in west coast and Mid-Atlantic states. I heard about brown recluse spiders are spreading to Chicago area but they are more rare, compare to southern states.
 
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