Links Round-Up: Pest Control Links For The Week

Spiderman Can’t Fight Spiders, Man

Although spiders can assist in keeping our homes free from pest control issues with other insects, they do in themselves pose a creepy and unnerving feeling in home owners and their guests. More…

Cockroach Control Tips for Maryland Homeowners – Inside, Outside – Where To Start

Here’s an excellent checklist of things to do to keep cockroaches out of the home. More…

Ants Are A Potential Danger To Your Home

Carpenter ants are a serious danger to a house, and, if these are found, a professional ant control company should be called. Learn more about these dangers by clicking here.

Why You Shouldn’t Be Alarmed By Daddy Long Legs Spiders

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about the daddy long leg spider. Some of the most common myths are that the spider is deadly, dangerous, poisonous, but can’t puncture your skin with its short fangs. Do you really need to be afraid of this spider? More…

Atlanta Yellow Jackets Exposed

With spring finally here, now is the time to start treating yellow jacket nests. If you wait until summer, the problem will have escalated, and you will get stung. More…

Pest Of The Week: The Crazy Rasberry Ant

Also called the Crazy Hairy ant or Tawny ant, the Crazy Rasberry ant is a common ant invader in states like North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. The Rasberry ant (not to be confused with raspberry) was discovered in 2002 by Tom Rasberry in Houston, TX. Currently, the State of Texas is dealing with Rasberry ant infestations in some 20 different counties.

Crazy Rasberry ants are described as “crazy,” because of the rapid and random ways in which they move. The almost look like they are confused or lost. These ants are also hairy. Their bodies are covered with fine fuzz. They have slender bodies, and are reddish-brown in color.

Rasberry ants are hazardous, to electrical equipment; and to homeowners. They are also difficult to control. I you kill a Rasberry ant, a pheromone be released that summons other Rasberry ants to attack. In fact, it has been demonstrated that if you kill a hundred thousand Rasberry ants, millions of others will show up to their funeral. Scary! This characteristic makes Rasberry ants dangerous, and a serious pest control problem.

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Anthony Ball

Image via Wikipedia

These tiny ant pests are called “crazy,” because they scramble randomly, at speeds much greater than the average house ant. They are called “hairy,” because of the tiny fuzz that covers their body, making their abdomen look less glossy; than other ant species. Regardless, neither of the two designations (crazy or hairy), paint a comforting picture for residents at risk; of a Crazy Hairy ant invasion.

Already well-established and constantly on the move, these ant pests have disable huge industrial plants and invaded homes, urban centers and rural areas in Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana; and now North Carolina. Although the cost of Charlotte ant control treatments can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per year, damaged equipment and related costs associated with production loss; can quickly exceed those modest figures.

Making matters worse, if one Crazy Hairy ant gets electrocuted, its death releases a chemical, that summons other Crazy Hairy ants to attack the threat. In fact, one exterminator said “…  if a hundred-thousand are killed, millions more will follow.” Tom Rasberry, who found the first Texas specimens of the Crazy Hairy ant species (in the Houston area in 2002), conducted a remarkable test site with an experimental ant control product. In thirty days he observed and recorded two inches of dead ants, covering an entire half an acre. “It looked like the top of the dead ants was just total movement from all the live ants on top of the dead ants.”

As these ants travel from state to state in cargo containers, hay bales, potted plants, motorcycles and moving vans, officials are eager to discover new treatment solutions; to battle the “crazy” invaders. In Texas, state officials have temporarily approved two effective chemicals, to help control the ant invaders. Other states, like Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and North Carolina, are also actively searching for new pest control methods, to prevent the spread of the Crazy Hairy ant invaders.

Related articles

• Crazy, Hairy Ants Attack! (weeklyworldnews.com)
• Here Are the ‘Hairy Crazy Ants’ Invading the South [Video] (gawker.com)
• Hairy, crazy ants invade from Texas to Miss. (gunnyg.wordpress.com)
• Crazy Rasberry Ants now called Crazy Hairy Ants