Unless you have lived in Antarctica your whole life, chances are you have crossed paths with ants. With over 12,000 species in the world, ants are found in the near area. Texas has its fair share of ants invading homes, businesses, and landscapes with several species; one of which being Crazy Ants. We at A-Tex Pest Management would like to take the opportunity to expound a little on the crazy ants that commonly invade Texas homes and businesses.
Crazy Ants Attracted to Electricity, Electrical Switches & Electronics
Tawny crazy ants, hair crazy ants, and raspberry ants, to name a few, are all names that crazy ants are known by. Crazy ants, no matter which name you chose to use, can produce enormous, dense population infestations that can impact your home negatively. With their frantic and erratic movements, these ants are rightfully named. They have a seemingly bizarre attraction to electrical systems so much that they are responsible for an estimated $146 million a year in electrical damage. Crazy ants are drawn into the electrical wiring, where they get electrocuted, releasing an explosion of pheromones that their colony instantly smells and send another wave to deal with the threat, only to be electrocuted, sending a rippled chain reaction. Eventually, the bodies pile up enough that the causes the entire electrical system to short.
Crazy Ant Identification
Crazy ants are fairly identifiable besides noticing their chaotic movement. Their characteristics include a few examples:
– Do not have a stinger but do feature an acid pore. An acid pore is a small round terminal orifice surrounded by a ring of hairs that contains venom.
– They will bite if they feel threatened and inject the venom in so doing.
– Quick and erratic movement.
– Only measure up to 1/8” in length, these ants are tinier than other species.
– Reddish-brown in color.
– Long course hairs scattered across their bodies.
– Both the male and female have wings but after the female's mate, they will shed their wings. However, despite having wings they rarely fly.
Ant Supercolony Size
Capable of living in both life in both dry and moist climates, crazy ants are very adaptable. Crazy ants don’t traditionally construct mounds or nests like other species of ants. Instead, they establish their colonies in tree cavities, plants, yard clippings, soil found under clutter, or stones, and inside electrical equipment, as they break away. Crazy ants will infiltrate homes and businesses often when the weather changes because they can’t survive in cold climates. Though the individual crazy ant colonies tend to be small, each colony has a surprising number of queens even, which rapidly develops into supercolonies that will quickly multiply from a few thousand ants to millions of ants. Quick searches for food can take them a considerable distance away from home. Crazy ants are omnivorous, consuming anything such as living and dead insects, seeds, honeydew, fruits, plant secretions and a number of household edibles including meats, sweets, produce, grease and liquids.
Crazy Ant Inspection, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park, Texas
Crazy ants can be a challenge to remove from your home or business; especially before they manage to cause damage to electrical systems because of their habits and numbers. If crazy ants have taken over your home or business in the Greater Austin, Texas area, contact A-Tex Pest Management today!