Millions of dollars in property damage have been linked to invasive ants in the Southeast. The insects are overwhelming properties as they gather in "super colonies" containing millions of ants.
Here's what to know
LiveNOW from FOX recently reported on tawny crazy ants and cited an Associated Press interview with Joe MacGown, an ant taxonomy specialist at the Mississippi Entomological Museum.
The small, hairy, reddish-brown insects originated in South America and have been in the United States for nearly a century.
"And when I say blew up, they just overwhelmed acreage with millions and millions of ants," MacGown told the AP, describing the ants' population surge. "They aggregate in huge super colonies, just incredible numbers."
The ants bite but do not sting or carry venom. Once they gain a foothold, however, eliminating them is almost impossible.
More background
The ants' attraction to electrical equipment can set off a damaging chain reaction, MacGown said, as LiveNOW relayed. When they release alarm pheromones, more ants are drawn to the equipment, compounding the problem.
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Infestations have shorted out breaker boxes and temporarily shut down large businesses in Houston, causing many millions of dollars in damage.
People often aid their spread by transporting the insects to new areas in things like potted plants and firewood. Even a car or motorcycle parked overnight in a heavily infested area could carry them elsewhere, MacGown said.
Beyond damaging buildings, tawny crazy ants crowd trees and the ground, competing with other organisms.
MacGown suspects changing weather patterns may help explain their expanding range across the South. Still, the reason for their population explosions remains uncertain.
What can be done?
While residents may be tempted to reach for pesticides, MacGown recommended first contacting an agricultural service or local extension agent to confirm whether the insects are tawny crazy ants, according to LiveNOW.
Identifying the ants can be difficult without expertise or a microscope. Residents should then contact a professional pest control operator.
"You cannot deal with these ants on your own. It's impossible," MacGown originally said to the AP. "You'll spend money. You'll be involved with chemicals you shouldn't use."
Treatment also requires cooperation among neighbors. Clearing ants from one property will not resolve the problem if an adjacent property remains infested, MacGown explained.
"And if you have them and you say you're in a neighborhood, if you get rid of yours and they don't get rid of theirs over there … everybody has to work together," he said. "This is a neighborhood struggle."
Where can I learn more?
Ants are spreading into new areas in other places and are finding their way into household equipment.
• Stinging fire ants are pushing deeper into Tennessee, with 87 counties now infested.
• An Australian resident found ants chewing through a charger, prompting speculation about their behavior.
• In Ohio, ants are scaling buildings for rooftop gardens, a development researchers consider good news.
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