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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Gulf Coast Gardeners - Rasberry Crazy Ants

10 years ago

After the discussion started last week about killing ants with boric acid, this week I find myself confronted with a new ant species to defend against. the Rasberry Crazy Ant (and no, Rasberry isn't misspelled), aka the Tawny Crazy Ant.

It's been in TX around the Gulf Coast for abut 11 years, I'd heard about it, but never seen it. Now I have - in my kitchen and an adjacent bathroom. I found what I believe is the key area outside where they're outside (under mulch in a landscaping bed in the front of the house). But the issue with these guys is they come in huge numbers (like millions) and are very difficult to control. Most baiting systems are ineffective for control, few insecticides are known to be effective for control, and those that are typically aren't available in the homeowner retail market.

The good news is Rasberry Crazy Ants seem to be restricted to the Gulf Cost. Thus far they've been confirmed in TX, LA, MS and FL. Second is, they don't travel far on their own - they appear to migrate as hitchhikers in cargo, suitcases, etc. Third is, they need a tropical or subtropical environment, at least thus far.

So, if you live in a Gulf Coast state be on the lookout for Rasberry Crazy Ants in your gardens and landscapes. They don't build hills like fire ants. They establish their very sizable colonies under anything that creates a void and retains moisture, such as stumps, concrete, rocks, potted plants, mulch, etc. While they nest mostly outdoors, unlike fire ants they will forage indoors, into homes and other structures.

Some entomologists believe that these ants may completely change the ecosystems of the SE US, where the fire ant has been a dominant species. They will swarm and take on fire ants. More on Rasberry Crazy Ants via the link below, and the links therein.

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU - Control of Rasberry Crazy Ants

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Comments (4)

toxcrusadr
10 years ago
Holy cripes. "Piles of dead ants accumulate around the outsides of buildings and along baseboards." It's like an alien invasion.
TXEB
Original Author
10 years ago
Scary, eh? You should see the bucket loads of dead mosquitoes we can, at times, literally collect with shovels.
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jonfrum
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I just saw a video on these buggers. NASA is working hard to keep them out of their facilities in Houston. They get inside electronic components and short them out. The guy Rasberry is an exterminator who brought them to the attention of an entomologist in Texas - that's where the name comes from. People are actually saying they wish they had their fire ants back.
TXEB
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, I'm breathing much easier this afternoon. Found out that my suspected crazy ants were just immature fire ants. That's a relief.

Found the video from Animal Planet linked below earlier this afternoon while still in the worry mode. I think I prefer fire ants over these guys - fire ants are comparatively easy to control.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crazy Ant Video

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