Science

See Them Move: Hairy, ‘Crazy’ Ants Invade!

See Them Move: Hairy, Crazy Ants Invade From Texas to Mississippi

NEW ORLEANS (The Blaze/AP) — It sounds like a horror movie: Biting ants invade by the millions. A camper’s metal walls bulge from the pressure of ants nesting behind them. A circle of poison stops them for only a day, and then a fresh horde shows up, bringing babies. Stand in the yard, and in seconds ants cover your shoes.

It’s an extreme example of what can happen when the ants – which also can disable huge industrial plants – go unchecked. Controlling them can cost thousands of dollars. But the story is real, told by someone who’s been studying ants for a decade.

“Months later, I could close my eyes and see them moving,” said Joe MacGown, who curates the ant, mosquito and scarab collections at the Mississippi State Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University.

He’s been back to check on the hairy crazy ants. They’re still around. The occupant isn’t.

The flea-sized critters are called crazy because each forager scrambles randomly at a speed that your average picnic ant, marching one by one, reaches only in video fast-forward. 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.

See Them Move: Hairy, Crazy Ants Invade From Texas to Mississippi

AP

And they’re on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. In Texas, they’ve invaded homes and industrial complexes, urban areas and rural areas. They travel in cargo containers, hay bales, potted plants, motorcycles and moving vans. They overwhelm beehives – one Texas beekeeper was losing 100 a year in 2009. They short out industrial equipment.

If one gets electrocuted, its death releases a chemical cue to attack a threat to the colony, said Roger Gold, an entomology professor at Texas A&M.

“The other ants rush in. Before long, you have a ball of ants,” he said.

A computer system controlling pipeline valves shorted out twice in about 35 days, but monthly treatments there now keep the bugs at bay, said exterminator Tom Rasberry, who found the first Texas specimens of the species in the Houston area in 2002.

See Them Move: Hairy, Crazy Ants Invade From Texas to Mississippi

AP

“We’re kind of going for overkill on that particular site because so much is at stake,” he said. “If that shuts down, they could literally shut down an entire chemical plant that costs millions of dollars.”

And, compared to other ants, these need overkill. For instance, Gold said, if 100,000 are killed by pesticides, millions more will follow.

“I did a test site with a product early on and applied the product to a half-acre … In 30 days I had two inches of dead ants covering the entire half-acre,” Rasberry said. “It looked like the top of the dead ants was just total movement from all the live ants on top of the dead ants.”

But the Mississippi story is an exception, Rasberry said. Control is expensive, ranging from $275 to thousands of dollars a year for the 1,000 homes he’s treated in the past month. Still, he’s never seen the ants force someone out of their home, he said.

The ants don’t dig out anthills and prefer to nest in sheltered, moist spots. In MacGown’s extreme example in Waveland, Miss., the house was out in woods with many fallen trees and piles of debris. They will eat just about anything – plant or animal.

The ants are probably native to South America, MacGown said. But they were recorded in the Caribbean by the late 19th century, said Jeff Keularts, an extension associate professor at the University of the Virgin Islands. That’s how they got the nickname “Caribbean crazy ants.” They’ve also become known as Rasberry crazy ants, after the exterminator.

Now they’re making their way through parts of the Southeast. Florida had the ants in about five counties in 2000 but today is up to 20, MacGown said. 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.

Texas has temporarily approved two chemicals in its effort to control the ants, and other states are looking at ways to curb their spread.

Controlling them can be tricky. Rasberry said he’s worked jobs where other exterminators had already tried and failed. Gold said some infestations have been traced to hay bales hauled from one place to another for livestock left without grass by the drought that has plagued Texas.

MacGown said he hopes their numbers are curbed in Louisiana and Mississippi before it’s too late.

The hairy crazy ants do wipe out one pest – fire ants – but that’s cold comfort.

“I prefer fire ants to these,” MacGown said. “I can avoid a fire ant colony.”

Comments (72)

1 2
  • 5headspro.com
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 10:04pm

    And the crazy part of this whole story is as complex as it is simple. And simply stated:

    “The ants know, the bee’s know”

    that is all…

    Report Post » 5headspro.com  
  • Rached Madcow SHOW
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 9:11pm

    It’s official. We have lost the war on drugs. Even the ants are on meth now.

    Report Post » Rached Madcow SHOW  
  • TomFerrari
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 8:40pm

    You’re not the only one sick of spam.
    And, there are good SPAM filters available for WordPress (theblaze.com’s software).
    Why won’t they fix it?

    My only guess is that something completely new is in the works, otherwise, they just don’t give a crap about it or about it annoying us.

    Report Post » TomFerrari  
  • TomFerrari
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 8:36pm

    Thank you, NAFTA !

    Thank you, “Free Trade Agreements!”

    Thank you, open-borders obama!

    Report Post » TomFerrari  
    • Prowd2beblack
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 8:49pm

      we call them sugar ants in alabama…dont hurt anybody just aggervating

      Report Post » Prowd2beblack  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 9:28pm

      I‘d prefer not to have to spend money on exterminators and pesticides and I’d prefer not to end up with a 2 INCH THICK layer of dead ants covering a HALF ACRE of land.

      “Annoying” may be a bit soft of a term, I feel.

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
  • BeckJunkii
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:49pm

    I found a small colony in my boat a couple months ago….didn’t realize it until we were on the water. Grabbed a life vest, threw it to my son, he grabbed it, and these freak’in ants were everywhere fast! My wife and kids jumped in the water leaving me in the boat with the job of killing them all. It was a futile effort….Not fun. Little did I know that they made that life vest a home in the engine compartment…the perfect dark, moist environment.

    Report Post »  
  • kindling
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:24pm

    I found a large black ant on a wall above my bed one day. It came out of a small hole in the sheet rock. I used a knuckle to tap on the wall so see if more would come out. Instead, the wall gave way and a pile of ants looking more like a flood of oil pored out on me and spread across my bed and within minutes across my entire ceiling and all four walls dropping and covering everything on the floor. I jumped off the bed, grabbed my infant son who was standing struck dumb and ran as fast as I could. When we came back home, thinking I would have a monumental clean up job, I found not one ant…anywhere. Not one dead ant even though I must have stepped on some. I taped duct tape over the hole and slept with one eye open until we moved.

    Report Post » kindling  
    • Charles
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:48pm

      O.O I think you should get a sage smudge stick use it in the four corners of that room and the rest of the house before sleeping there. And skip the exterminator service. Just call an exorcist O.O
      On the other hand, ants are amazing insects. Your story would be epic if it came with video.

      Report Post »  
  • Charley1
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:18pm

    Almost as poorly written and misleading as one of the White House’s press releases. The Hairy Carribean Crazy Ant DOESN’T BITE, in the first place. Doesn’t sting, either, crazy ants don’t have a stinger. They are NOT spreading across the country, their current habitat requirments require a pretty temperate, damp environment. Unless they adapt, which doesn’t seem too likely, they are going to be limited to east Texas, the gulf coast, and that’s about it. Cooler temperatures and drier climates are not likely to see them.
    BTW, Roger Gold is the HEAD of the Entomology Department at Texas A&M, not some low level professor/teacher.
    Fipronil, as pointed out, will work, but the numbers can be so great that the live ants are walking over the dead bodies of other ants, and don’t contact the material. Fipronil, IS toxic…just like any pesticide. Not terribly toxic, but it wouldn‘t kill if it wasn’t! Same issue with other non repellants, such as Imidicloprid. Baits are of not much use, very tough to supply the quantity needed for the numbers. Also, sorry, plain corn meal doesn’t kill ants….the larvae that are the colony’s “mouth and stomach” do just fine with it.
    I’m an entomolgist, I’ve been in the pest management industry for almost thirty years, and I’m not going to lose any sleep over the HCCA.

    Report Post »  
    • Servant Of YHVH
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 8:05pm

      @Charley
      You beat me to it. I thought that no else had picked up on it and I thought that I was going to have to mention it. I’m glad to see that someone else was actually paying attention.

      Report Post » Servant Of YHVH  
    • Spider64
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 9:17pm

      Thanks CHARLEY1 for the voice of reason. The use of insecticide is useful. Remembering that to use the insects strengths and habits against them is the best plan. But why the article written that way. IF BLEEDS ITS LEADS/ if they scare you you will keep reading or watching

      Report Post » Spider64  
    • clarityrising
      Posted on October 3, 2011 at 5:26am

      Last year when it was in the news in central Texas and they called them Crazy Raspberry Ants, reporters also mentioned that these buggers are pretty effective at killing Fire Ants. Is that true?

      Report Post »  
  • HawkEyeTx
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:11pm

    If ya think about it they‘re mov’n around soooo fast they don‘t have much time to harm much of anything other than taking up my Sunday read’n time.

    Report Post » HawkEyeTx  
  • Carl McPherson
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 5:46pm

    I’m impressed.. the guy that usually screams “Who CARES”… and complains that it isn’t a policitcal earth-shattering conspiracy article… he hasn’t surfaced yet.

    He’s usually within the top 5 whiners. :)

    Report Post » Carl McPherson  
  • Ctina7799
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 5:38pm

    Ok, that’s nightmare material. Creepy just doesn’t come close to describing what these things are.

    Report Post »  
  • Rev.sLeezy
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 5:04pm

    Holy Smokes. These ants arrived by visitors from another galaxy. Study of ants by space travelers has been going on since they dropped a man and woman off here a trillion years ago. This is nothing new. Read the history and study of ants. More ants on this world than us monkey-men with no hair. wink.

    Report Post » Rev.sLeezy  
  • Deep_Thoughts
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 4:53pm

    we have these in So. Cal. they’re called oil ants and you usually find them in and under the sidewalk

    Report Post » Deep_Thoughts  
  • Hickory
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 4:21pm

    If you can get your hands on it, fipronil with do the job. The ants can’t smell it and if just a few molecules get on an ant, it’s done. Fipronil is also not toxic to humans or animals. It is transferred from one ant to another when they rub their feet or feelers together to communicate and when sharing food. It worked very well in Austrialia to control all kinds of ants. You have to be careful to keep it away from bees and fish.

    Report Post » Hickory  
  • Chappy123
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:59pm

    jaylew
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 12:34pm
    Researchers have also determined that these creatures generally vote democrat….which explains their propensity to help themselves uninvited to other peoples property and their often unnatural environmentalist leanings by chewing through electrical lines and shutting down chemical plants.
    Re

    GREAT POST!!! LOL!!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • Chappy123
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:57pm

    How did Ron Paul become a topic here. This is about ANTS!

    Report Post »  
  • llotus
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:56pm

    I dont ike any kind of ant. That crazy ant…looking at it eyeball to eyeball reminds me of my mother inlaw. Lotus.

    Report Post »  
  • snufy
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:30pm

    How did the subject get changed to Ron Paul? Nothing like staying on the subject.
    Corn meal will kill ants. They take it to the nest and they eat it. Problem for them is, they can’t digest corn meal and die.

    Report Post » snufy  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:26pm

    I can see the various decrees around the nation on the morning:

    Media (left falling) “War Warning! Invasion of the Continental US territories by radical tea party ants!!”

    (Napoletano: “We have found out these invading insects are Christian, conservative, radical terrorists bent on the survival of their species and affiliated with the Tea Party…”

    (Mr Obama: “Today, the 2nd of October, a day that will live in infamy for my declared words, we have been invaded by renegade tea party ants — planted by my own agents of the eco-terrorists bands — bent on the decimation of the the nations flora and fauna…therefore I declare a state of national emergency and ask Congress — to give me absolute power for the rest of my life, because I am the Self Annointed One and my own powers will solve the nations problems, if everyone else will just get out of my way of doing so…”

    (Congress: “And now my fellow members of Congress, the articles of impeachment due to reasons of insanity and incompetence have passed, both House and Senate, Mr Obama is now out of office…”

    (Mr Obama: “What just happened…”

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • trolltrainer
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:26pm

    Then why are YOU not making $77 an hour on YOUR computer? Sheesh…

    Report Post »  
  • stang289
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 2:40pm

    See what happens when the borders arent secure ? diversity ?

    Report Post » stang289  
  • Netsurfer2
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 2:29pm

    Not to mention (hint), Killer Bees, Asian Snake Fish, Gypsy Moths and other non native animals that have inhabited our country.

    Report Post » Netsurfer2  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 1:22pm

    interesting……

    Report Post » Stoic one  
  • YepImaConservative
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 12:55pm

    “It sounds like a horror movie: Biting ants [Ron Paul supporters] invade by the millions [okay, thousands]. A camper’s metal walls [the internet] bulge from the pressure of ants (Ron Paul supporters] nesting behind them [on the internet]. A circle of poison [well rounded Conservatism to them] stops them for only a day, and then a fresh horde shows up, bringing babies (whiney Ron Paul reenforcements].”

    “The flea-sized critters are called crazy [Ron Paul supporters] because each forager [self important individual] scrambles randomly at a speed [internet speed] that your average picnic ant, [small L-libertarian] marching one by one…”

    “In Texas, they’ve (Ron Paul supporters) invaded homes and industrial complexes [protested Military industrial complexes], urban areas and rural areas [and all internet sites].”

    I could go on…. what fun!!!

    Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • dissentnow
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 1:11pm

      For someone that doesn’t like to waste time talking about Ron Paul, you sure do like to waste time talking about Ron Paul.

      What fun!

      Report Post »  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 1:21pm

      I actually LOVE talking about Ron Paul. You must have me confused with the media who Paul supporters whine about ignoring him. Lol.

      I’m providing he and his supporters a platform where none really exists… lmao.

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • jb.kibs
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 2:08pm

      did you even listen to yourself? you are kind of pathetic…

      I guess Ron Paul is bringing out all the NeoCons, Progressives and Closet Liberals… neat, we’ll remember who is against the constitution, liberty and personal responsibility. trust in that. ;)

      Report Post »  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 2:27pm

      JB.KIBS. Ron Paul and Ron Paul supporters are nothing more than thrifty Liberals (my description of y’all). You spin your own Liberalism any way you see fit, but Ron Paul, Paul supporters, Libertarians, etc.. claiming to be Conservatives is what is truly pathetic. Neo-Liberals/Quasi-Conservatives are the best descriptions and most accurate (aside from my descriptions) I‘ve seen when regarding y’all…

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 2:45pm

      “…we’ll remember who is against the constitution, liberty and personal responsibility. trust in that. ;).”

      Lmao KIBS. Which fringe group besides you and the other Paul supporters should I worry about… Stormfront, Neo-Nazis, Truthers, Birthers, Code Pink, Sponge Bob Squarepants?

      Talking about pathetic…

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • The10thAmendment
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:41pm

      @ YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 2:27pm

      JB.KIBS. Ron Paul and Ron Paul supporters are nothing more than thrifty Liberals (my description of y’all). You spin your own Liberalism any way you see fit, but Ron Paul, Paul supporters, Libertarians, etc.. claiming to be Conservatives is what is truly pathetic. Neo-Liberals/Quasi-Conservatives are the best descriptions and most accurate (aside from my descriptions) I‘ve seen when regarding y’all…
      ———————————————————————————————————————————————–
      I’m a Constitutional Moderate. Your position on Political Parties is so out of whack it’s frightening. Conservative isn’t a Party, it’s a form of disposition. The Founding Fathers were “Classical Liberals” as Federalists. There was little or nothing “conservative” about them. They much more closely resemble today’s Libertarians than any single person in the “Republican” Party. They‘re as far as the East is from the West regarding today’s Modern Liberals, but it doesn’t change that your interpretation is wrong. Today‘s Republican Party is exactly what the 1970’s Democrats were. It’s called a paradigm shift toward totalitarianism. An Oligarchy rather than a Republic. You want a Republic, you need to become a Libertarian, or a Constitutional Moderate.

      Report Post » The10thAmendment  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 4:36pm

      LMAO… 10th… Thanks for the lesson. No where did I state “Conservative is a party” (unless of course you belong to the Conservative Party of NY or the UK I guess). You can call yourself a Constitutional Moderate, a Libertarian Conservative, a Conservative Libertarian, a Constitutional Libertarian, a Right-Libertarian, a Small L Libertarian, a Big L Libertarian etc… doesn’t much matter to me because there are soooo many variations and all very self important and rather liberal in the progressive sense to me. Yep, definately not conservatives.

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • The10thAmendment
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 5:03pm

      @ YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 4:36pm

      LMAO… 10th… Thanks for the lesson. No where did I state “Conservative is a party” (unless of course you belong to the Conservative Party of NY or the UK I guess). You can call yourself a Constitutional Moderate, a Libertarian Conservative, a Conservative Libertarian, a Constitutional Libertarian, a Right-Libertarian, a Small L Libertarian, a Big L Libertarian etc… doesn’t much matter to me because there are soooo many variations and all very self important and rather liberal in the progressive sense to me. Yep, definately not conservatives.
      ———————————————————————————————————————————————–
      I studied Political Science under Paul Beck at Ohio State. He’s almost certainly a fan of progressivism, but he’s also a believer that people need to know what they represent and settle for nothing in between. I’m an active member of the Constitution Party, and not a Libertarian, though they more closely represent my ideals in governance. Your view on what a Libertarian is, is purely wrong. As is your evaluations when discussing Conservatism and Liberalism. It seems like a rather disassociated understanding of the American political system.

      Report Post » The10thAmendment  
    • YepImaConservative
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:01pm

      >10TH. Shhhhhhh, don’t tell anybody… but I didn’t get to go to Ohio State and train my mind under Paul Beck… but I have been to Cedar Point though. EVEN KINGS ISLAND!!! Lol.

      PolySci? Wow! I am impressed you… you… you name dropper you! Paul Beck! WOW!

      Nope my friend, can’t say I have those creds, but I sure have done some real world living and fighting in my half century plus, and lived the decisions my civilian leaders made over a 30 year time span. I did go to the school of Hard Knocks which prepared me for the harsh and sometimes unrewarding small role I played in the real world of political decision making, not just the theory behind it. Btw, I too am College edumacated, but nowhere near as good as the Buckeye State has to offer, heh.

      I’m now going to disassociate myself from this particular topic as I see a Ron Paul Topic has popped up elsewhere. Lol.

      Report Post » YepImaConservative  
    • The10thAmendment
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 6:23pm

      @ >10TH. Shhhhhhh, don’t tell anybody… but I didn’t get to go to Ohio State and train my mind under Paul Beck… but I have been to Cedar Point though. EVEN KINGS ISLAND!!! Lol.

      PolySci? Wow! I am impressed you… you… you name dropper you! Paul Beck! WOW!

      Nope my friend, can’t say I have those creds, but I sure have done some real world living and fighting in my half century plus, and lived the decisions my civilian leaders made over a 30 year time span. I did go to the school of Hard Knocks which prepared me for the harsh and sometimes unrewarding small role I played in the real world of political decision making, not just the theory behind it. Btw, I too am College edumacated, but nowhere near as good as the Buckeye State has to offer, heh.

      I’m now going to disassociate myself from this particular topic as I see a Ron Paul Topic has popped up elsewhere. Lol.
      ———————————————————————————————————————————————–
      Weak response.

      The school of hard knocks gave us what’s known as the “Greatest Generation”. What was so great about it? A willingness to be guided sheep and desire to be slaves? I’m proud of my education, though I was forced into Poli-Sci because of my job requirements. Working defense projects (comp engineer) so that our soldiers have the tools to defend the Constitution is my profession.

      Report Post » The10thAmendment  
  • AxelPhantom
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 12:45pm

    Sounds a bit like fire ants. We took a road-trip up north and stopped at a rest area. My son who was about 3 at the time was sitting in the grass and a black ant crawled on him. He started flailing and screaming. Everyone was staring at him. I guess none of them had ever had an encounter with a pile of fire ants. The poor kid didn‘t know that all ants won’t swarm like killer bees!

    Report Post »  
    • drago
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 12:56pm

      @Axel
      Fire ants are not black. Im not discounting the incounter, but fireants are red in color….

      Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 1:01pm

      What we need is the killing force of OLD FASHIONED pestisides . .the ones that work! I have been bitten by fire ants and swell up very badly .. the best thing I have found to put on the bites is Benadryl gell. I carry it with us on vacation and always have it both in the car and home. But don’t take oral Benadryl with it .. it goes into the your system in gell form — don’t want to O.D.

      Report Post »  
    • Cat
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 1:32pm

      …
      Haven’t experienced these little critters yet.
      Did have fire ants for awhile.
      Used cream of wheat to kill them.
      The ants ingest the cream of wheat then suck up water and the cream of wheat expands more than they can.
      No more fire ants.

      Thinking …

      Report Post » Cat  
    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on October 2, 2011 at 3:33pm

      Drago, thus my diferentiation between a black ant and the fire ant. To a 3 year old an ant is an ant. Considering that I have about 10 bites right now on my right foot, I assure you I know what color they are!

      Report Post »  
  • jaylew
    Posted on October 2, 2011 at 12:34pm

    Researchers have also determined that these creatures generally vote democrat….which explains their propensity to help themselves uninvited to other peoples property and their often unnatural environmentalist leanings by chewing through electrical lines and shutting down chemical plants.

    Report Post » jaylew  
1 2

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love