Forget Fire Ants — Here Come the “Crazy Ants”

Anyone who has ever disturbed a fire ant nest can tell you they don't ever want to do that again. Let's face it, here in the South, it's hard not to come in contact with fire ants. But now, there is new ant making it's way into our area and, while the bite isn't as painful, they can do a lot of damage. It seems these critters are attracted to electronics. think about those implications for a bit.

"Crazy" ants are also known as Tawny Ants and Rasberry ants. Unlike fire ants, these guys like to live in your house. their sting isn't as bad as that of the fire ant, but these guys will get into the walls and wreak havoc on electrical systems.

It seems that when one of them gets zapped, it sends out an emergency chemical and all it's little buddies come running to find out about the emergency. Well, when enough of them gather, you've got electrical problems.

these critters were first discovered in Houston back in 2002, but they have now drifted as far east as Mississippi. Now, how do you tell "crazy" ants from regular ants?

Well, as the name implies, they act, well...crazy. their movement is very erratic and they don't seem to follow regular feeding trails as we've all seen other ants do. Also, they don't build central mounds and their nest are seldom found on the surface of the ground. They prefer to be under rocks and other landscaping.

If you see them, obviously, call an exterminator or you may be replacing a lot of wiring and electronic equipment!