With temperatures on the rise and no end to the heat of summer in sight, residents of Texas are spending more and more time navigating their properties to avoid every day nuisance pests such as ants. Residents of San Antonio are surprised to learn that many of these ant species are considered invasive species and two in particular are terrorizing home and business owners across the state of Texas. According to the pest control specialists at A Five Star Termite & Pest Control the tawny crazy ant and the Argentine ant have the potential to cause significant problems especially when found in large numbers. Not only can they destroy the delicate balance of the eco-system they can also ruin your electrical equipment.
Rasberry Crazy AKA Tawny Crazy Ant Infestations
The tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) is native to South American, Brazil and Columbia. Researchers believe that the ants first arrived in America as castaways through the shipping industry. These days the ants spread like wildfire as home and business owners unwittingly aide their advance as they go about their daily business transporting everyday household items like potted plants, landscaping material and items of trash. Tawny ants are reddish brown in color, and fairly small in size with long antennae and tiny clumps of hair on the end of their abdomens. What makes these annoying little intruders so hard to get rid of is the fact that the nests often consist of more than one queen, and each queen can produce literally hundreds of thousands of worker ants. An infestation of crazy ants can number in the millions and just like their name sake, they move in a very fast and erratic manner with no apparent purpose. Although the ants are incapable of stinging, they do have the ability to inflict a painful bite. The tawny crazy ant will feed on a diet of other insects, and has a particular fondness for sweet and sugary food stuffs. Unlike some species of ants, crazy ants form colonies in moist humid areas such as tree stumps, piles of leaf, mulch, and compost piles. Tawny crazy ants become less active during the cooler months of the year with their activity levels reaching peak activity levels during the summer months.
Argentine Ant Supercolony
The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) just like its name indicated, is native to Argentina and Brazil. The ants were first discovered on American soil in 1891, and since then they have spread throughout the southern United States including the State of Texas. According to the experts at A Five Star Termite & Pest Control, Argentine ants can be found in as many as 30 counties in southern and eastern Texas. Similar to tawny crazy ants, Argentine ants are small in size but unlike crazy ants they vary in color from a light to a darkish brown. The Argentine ant will build large colonies which contain multiple queens capable of producing millions of offspring. They prefer to nest in soil, under mulch and wood and often go undetected as they do not create the tell-tale nest mounds like those created by other ant species. Although they are incapable of stinging, they can inflict a bite which is often described as mildly painful. During the winter months, the ants will become dormant only to resume their activity during the warmer summer months.
Ant Inspections, Control & More in Cibolo, Universal City, New Braunfels & San Antonio, Texas
Both the Argentine ant and the tawny crazy ant often enter homes searching for food and water especially during the warm weather. Tawny ants in particular can be very destructive due to their ability chew through wiring and insulation. When the ants accumulate in large quantities they can short out and overload the system resulting in expensive electrical repairs and replacements. For more information regarding ant control and prevention for your San Antonio home or business, contact the knowledgeable experts at Five Star Termite & Pest Control today.
