"Houston, We Have a (Crazy Ant) Problem"

A species of crazy ant has invaded Houston.  Attracted to electrical equipment, the tiny insects are reproducing uncontrollably and heading towards NASA's Johnson Space Center.  We feel the need to reassure you that the Daily Galaxy hasn't turned into an archive for rejected sci-fi scripts - this is actually happening.

When we say "crazy ants", that's not just journalistic-jazzing up of the facts, that's actually what they're called because of their highly erratic and unpredictable movement (compared to the army-like order of sane ants).  More scientifically known as "paratrenicha species near pubens", the ants invaded Texas around 2002.  They're usually found in the Caribbean, so heading for the Lone Star state suggests sinister off-world ambitions.  Or at least, it would if this were The Outer Limits.

The Johnson Space Center isn't their only objective - they're heading pretty much everywhere within range.  That's what happens when something starts breeding almost without number, each nest thought to have multiple queens producing ever increasing volumes of insects (making the colonies significantly harder to exterminate).  In fact, expert entemologists believe eradicating the problem is now impossible - the invaders are simply too numerous and too widespread.  The Texas Department of Agriculture is researching new control methods as the multi-billion population of pests simply overwhelms existing measures. Poison-coated surfaces are crossed by pushing a bridge of their own corpses over the contaminated area, and if a few million of them don't make it they honestly aren't even going to notice.  What do you do against a species that can do that?

For reasons best known to themselves the "crazy raspberry ants" (named after Tom Raspberry, an exterminator who has done battle with them before and is likely - around the eighty-minute mark of the movie - to engage in a lone desperate gambit possibly including an experimental chemical and/or a petrol tanker) are attracted to electrical equipment.  Which they then break with the highly original strategy of "Choking it with their corpses".  For Texas residents, computer bugs has become entirely too literal.

Posted by Luke McKinney.

Invasive ants to attack NASA? http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5779654.html

Comments

[Alliea]

In Georgia, we have had problems with ants getting into the electrical wires inside of outdoor air conditioning units. Last year myself and many others I know had our air conditioning units stop working, when the repair person came it was discovered that there were dead ants clogging the unit where electrical wires were and live ants crawling all over and into the unit. As a precaution and continued maintenance, we have to put granules inside and spray the outside of the AC unit.

[Ray]

The only good news associated with this story is that the crazy ants are natural predators of fire ants. Apparently they bite humans, but do not sting. I'm not sure what the difference is. Due to their like of hot and humid, these ants are likely to be limited to the Gulf coast region. I read somewhere that they can kill anything, and have, like elephants. Their method: brute force, overwhelming the animal's breathing passages, and other orifices.

[Marty Ferguson]

We're now at PHASE V, if anyone remembers that little-known 80s movie 'PHASE IV'.

[davidstvz]

Fire ants grab hold with their jaws, then jab you with a stinger in their tail. An ant that bites but doesn't sting, would be just that. It would bite with its jaws, but not sting with a venom infused stinger. It may not hurt at all.

[Sleepy]

THATS NUTS! Watch out Luci!

[Jing]

yah, fire ant got me yesterday!!!!!! now my foot are swelling......