Crazy ants, tawny crazy ants, rasberry crazy ants, hairy crazy ants…call them what you will but one thing is certain. This relatively new species of ants is wildly invasive with dense populations of epic proportions.
Crazy ants earned their name because of their frantic and erratic movement. But what’s really crazy about these ants is their odd attraction to electrical equipment. It’s estimated that every year, crazy ants cause more than $146 million in electrical damage. These ants, when electrocuted, release a scent (pheromone), providing a signal to other ants to rush to the scene to find the ‘attacker.’ This leads to a domino effect; as more ants are electrocuted and more pheromones are released, more ants are attracted to the location. If enough dead ants pile up, it can short out an entire electrical system.Crazy ants are identified as Nylanderia fulva with tawny crazy ant as the common name. They are also sometimes referred to by their former name of rasberry crazy ant, named after the exterminator, Tom Rasberry, who noticed their growing presence in Texas in 2002. Distinguishing characteristics are: