There are several important facts you should know about crazy ants, especially if you're seeing these ants on, or inside, your property. Crazy ants have an attraction to electrical components and they can cause electronics to short circuit. These ants can have more than a billion individuals in a colony. When they come into your yard, there can be so many of them it can look like the ground is moving! If these ants target one of your vehicles, they can clog your engine. Crazy ants can be crop pests, as they protect insects that damage pests, such as aphids and scales. If you have a garden, or lots of plants in your landscaping, crazy ants can assist the process that causes your plants or vegetables to be damaged. Needless to say, it can be frustrating to have these ants enter your yard. Here are a few more things you ought to know about crazy ants.
Identification
Crazy ants get their name from their erratic movements. If you see a large number of tiny ants that look like they're just going crazy, you're probably looking at crazy ants. If you need more help with your identification, consider the following:
- The species of crazy ant that is most common in Alabama is the tawny crazy ant.
- Tawny crazy ant workers are between 1/16 and ⅛ of an inch long.
- These ants are reddish-brown in color.
- Workers are a uniform size, not polymorphic.
If you're seeing so many ants that there is no space between them and they are stacked on top of each other, you probably have a crazy ant infestation.
Preferred Habitat
Common places you'll find crazy ants around your Auburn, Alabama home are:
- In the cracks of your driveway, or the cement foundation of your garage.
- Underneath the foundation slab of your home, or cracks in your foundation walls.
- All over wood piles or construction materials stored in your backyard.
- On your garden vegetables and the plants in your landscaping.
- Under potted plants.
- Under the bark of trees.
- On your vehicle engine or inside the electrical box on the side of your home.
- Inside trash receptacles.
- Moving in large numbers across open, grassy areas where there is a lot of shade.
- Areas where there is a lot of moisture.
- On mulch.
- On leaf litter and other organic debris.
Are Crazy Ants A Threat?
This species of ant is not known to bite or sting people. They can, however, present a bacterial threat as they are able to get into garbage and then may find their way into stored foods. This can spread harmful bacteria to your foods. If you're noticing these ants inside your pantry or kitchen cabinets, consider getting sealed containers to put your food in. This will keep these ants out.
More Facts About Tawny Crazy Ants
- These ants have several queens in a colony. This makes it difficult to get control of a tawny crazy ant infestation.
- 95 percent of over-the-counter ant control products do not work on crazy ants.
- Tawny crazy ants are also called Rasberry crazy ants. They were given this name in honor of the Texas pest control technician who discovered them.
- Tawny crazy ants kill fire ants and take over their nesting sites.
Crazy Ant Prevention
When these ants select your yard, there isn't a whole lot you can do to prevent them. There are few Alabama yards that are devoid of potential nesting sites for these ants. You can, however, take steps to seal your exterior walls to resist these ants and make it more difficult for them to get inside. We recommend using a caulking gun to seal gaps and cracks, or to fill in holes. You can also remove organic debris and clutter from your yard. While the chances are low that these ants will move on to the next yard and leave you alone, you can stunt their population growth as you seek a professional to provide ant control solutions.
Crazy Ant Control
Prewett Pest Control can advise you on selecting a treatment plan to get control of crazy ants. It is important to understand that this is a process and it can take time to fully address a crazy ant infestation. Reach out to us today and schedule a pest control inspection to get started.