Crazy Rasberry Ants

An unknown species of ant is wrecking havoc in Texas
By Matt Ransford Posted 05.15.2008 at 12:34 pm 7 Comments

An Ant: Photo by Jeff Kubina

First came the killer bees and now comes the crazy ants. Houston is home to a new invasive species of ant, thought to have arrived via a container ship in 2002. The as-of-yet unidentified species is colloquially referred to as the crazy rasberry ant for its erratic foraging habits, appearing to dart in every direction but straight ahead. The ant has quickly become a nuisance both to the local ecology and to the people living with them. They are omivorous and will eat everything from flora to other insects and even the hatchlings of a local grouse called the prarie chicken. They have destroyed all matter of electrical equipment, insinuating themselves into fire alarms and sewage pumps, mucking up the works as they go.

While the species is already too widespread and established for any hope of erradication, even simple population control is proving to be difficult. The animals are not attracted to the usual poison bait traps and so require specialized extermination. The colonies are polygyne (having multiple queens) and may even be interconnected into supercolonies, making colony destruction nearly impossible. Even when individuals are killed, the survivors will smartly pile their dead over the pesticide-treated areas to cross to safety.

Via Texas A&M University

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eater
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 05/15/08 at 2:40 pm

I believe they are "crazy Rasberry ants," named for exterminator Tom Rasberry: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080514/ap_on_re_us/texas_ants_1

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thunderstorm
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 05/15/08 at 4:12 pm

Cool ants. If our armies were as smart as those ants, then we would be unstoppable. Seriously though, if these ants are attracted to anything in particular couldn't we make some chemical change to it just enough that it will kill them.

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luke123abc
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 05/17/08 at 6:45 pm

sadly, i dont think anyway we know right now could take them out. but i got an idea. a really bad one but really there would be no other way but maybe to burn the cities down. then the ants would die, but im not sure maybe then they could surrond the whole areas with huge amounts of pesticides and then light the cities.
but hey im a pyro, fire solves everything in my mind

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luke123abc
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 05/17/08 at 6:45 pm

sadly, i dont think anyway we know right now could take them out. but i got an idea. a really bad one but really there would be no other way but maybe to burn the cities down. then the ants would die, but im not sure maybe then they could surrond the whole areas with huge amounts of pesticides and then light the cities.
but hey im a pyro, fire solves everything in my mind

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SciFye10
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 05/22/08 at 4:50 pm

I think that if something so small as an ant can do this much damage without being able to be eradicated, then there defiantly needs something to be done soon if it's as bad as it is now already.

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chuckster3.0

from Broomfield, Colorado

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 05/24/08 at 10:37 pm

you cannot eradicate a species that reproduces as quickly as ants just like you can't eradicate mosquitos. Especially if these ants are omnivorous. This species needs to be identified and studied so that we can correctly identify it's strengths and weakness's and what feeds on it. We can only manage it's population and modify our habits so that we can effectively coexist.

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mhmdkhamis
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 06/15/08 at 3:30 pm

العاب البنات
العاب باربي
<

صور سيارات
نكت
برامج حماية وانتى فايروس

العاب اطفال

العاب طبخ

العاب تلبيس

العاب ميك اب

العاب ديكور وترتيب

thanks

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