Invading Crazy Ants Threaten Florida

February 24, 2017

Remember a few years back when we were concerned about Killer Bees? Well now another invading pest from South America is making its way to the Sunshine State. Unlike the bees, these bugs are not genetically modified, but they are crazy! The Tawny Crazy Ant is an aggressively spreading species known for erratic behavior. Unlike other ant colonies, tawny ants are very disorganized in how they collect food and behave in general. This, combined with an astounding reproduction rate has led to their fun name.

By the time you've seen one tawny ant chances are there are hundreds of thousands of them in your home already. When treated, these ants can appear as a snowdrift of dead bodies, millions of which can be cleaned up afterward. Aside from rampant multiplication, these ants pose other threats as well. Now you may not think of fire ants as a good thing, but the truth is these carnivorous ants keep a good number of other pests from invading your home, but not the tawny ant. Tawny ants have a chemical coating which protects them from the acids secreted by fire ants. A large enough tawny population can overrun a fire ant colony and then decimate the bugs which support local bird diets. 

If you're walking the perimeter of your home looking for a tawny ant nest, you're out of luck. They are not mound builders. Tawny ants inhabit any shelter they can get into and seem fascinated with electronics. You may find them in your outlets, phones, computers, and electrical panels. Once they overcrowd electronic circuits their bodies can create connections, leading to short circuiting and fires. Making this worse, as the ants are being electrocuted they send out attack pheromones, leading other ants to their location thereby multiplying the problem.

Overall, tawny ants are very challenging to treat and won't be attracted to most baits or traps you pick up at the store. The best thing you can do is call Safari Termite Pest Control and have our experts treat your home and stop the invasion before it gets too difficult to handle.