An unknown species of ant is wrecking havoc in Texas
Posted 05.15.2008 at 11:34 am
7 Comments
An Ant
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.
Want to learn more about the environment, solar energy, sustainability, and more? Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!
7 Comments
To comment, please Login.
Popular Tags
The Environment on Popular Science
138 years of Popular Science at your fingertips.
Innovation Challenges
Popular Science+ For iPad
Each issue has been completely reimagined for your iPad. See our amazing new vision for magazines that goes far beyond the printed page
Download Our App
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone or Android phone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Follow Us On Twitter
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
.jpg)
February 2012: The Future of Fun
Science is reinventing play, from extreme sports to gamification to ridiculous roller coasters to the playgrounds of tomorrow, and this issue is chock full of fun. Also, on a less fun note: Did global warming destroy my hometown?
Popular on Popsci
Most Viewed
The Environment
Most Emailed
The Environment
Most Commented
The Environment
Today on PopSci.com
Copyright © 2009 Popular Science
A Bonnier Corporation Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
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
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.
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
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
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.
from Broomfield, Colorado
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.
العاب البنات
العاب باربي
<
صور سيارات
نكت
برامج حماية وانتى فايروس
العاب اطفال
العاب طبخ
العاب تلبيس
العاب ميك اب
العاب ديكور وترتيب
thanks