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ants insects

How often should service be rendered to get Crazy Ants under control?

It is recommended that you service your property every 30 days to control these pests. In order to understand why this is necessary, let’s take a look at these crazy ants for a moment. The crazy ant, – Paratrechina longicornis, is a species of ant, that according to Entomologists is not native to the United States. Although it is not entirely known where it originally came from it is thought to have arrived in North America from Africa, Asia or the Carribean. These ants are named the crazy ant because of their characteristic erratic movements and behaviors. The crazy ant is a recognized pest common to the northeastern areas of the United States, as well as the southern states, and additional states out west such as Arizona and California. The crazy ant has also been spotted in Hawaii and Canada. Crazy ant adults are typically 2-3mm in size with longer legs than other ant species.

Crazy ants will feed on an assortment of things, and so they are known to be quite omnivorous. Crazy ants have been studied to eat just about anything, including garbage and composts, sweets to include fruit. They are attracted to grease, meat, plants, and liquids. Their favored environments include places like your trash, rotting trees, foliage, and soil. They nest in rotting wood, under large rocks or timbers.

The crazy ant doesn’t fly, but these pests are still able to reach new heights. The crazy ant has been found in high floors of taller buildings, as well as the lower floors. The crazy ants are also found in kitchens. These little insects are not just a nuisances, these ants can mean big trouble. An infestation can invade a building creating considerable damage. Additionally, these bugs are well known to short electrical units. They often will forage long distances from their nests, which makes eradicating infestations a little more challenging. The crazy ant workers carry food on their backs over long distances in order to feed the colony. These colonies are fairly moderate in size, with anywhere from 8-40 Queens usually residing in a single colony. Queens lay their eggs in the nest, that the worker ants will care for. Crazy ant life cycle is approximately 68-74 days. Crazy ants do not sting, but they will bite. This isn’t a concern beyond initial discomfort as most people only have a minor reaction to the bite. Less than 1% of the population will need medical attention from these bites.
If you have crazy ants, controlling them is necessary to prevent bigger problems from arising with these destructive pests. The crazy ant reproduces quickly making the job of eliminating them more of a challenge. Contacting your pest control specialist is the best-recommended option for treating your property for crazy ants. These ants aren’t attracted to the typical ant baits or red ant baits. Commercial products have been studied to have very little impact on crazy ants. After treatment by your pest control specialist, any crazy ants that survived will simply move their colony or start another. This is why treatment is recommended every 30 days because these ants often will return to re-invade, which is one of the great challenges for eradicating them.

W.J. Arnold. © 2016

https://my.carbonmade.com/portfolio/projects/6041626

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://wjarnold.carbonmade.com/.

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general

Why is service every 30 days for a Crazy Ant infestation ideal for getting them under control?

The crazy ant, – Paratrechina longicornis, is not native to North America, it is not entirely known where it originally came from though it is believed to have arrived at the United States from Africa, or Asia. It is also thought they may have been brought in from the Carribean. Named the crazy ant because of its movements and behaviors, it is familiar to the northern states, and northeastern areas. The crazy ant is also very common in the southern states, and some of the states out west such as California and Arizona. Hawaii and Canada are also acquainted with the crazy ant.

Adults are typically 2-3mm in size with long legs. Crazy ants feed on an array of things which make them omnivorous. Their diet contains dead or live insects, composts, fruits, sweets, grease, meat, plants, and various liquids. They love environments like trash, rotting trees, plants, and soil. You may even find nests under large rocks or timbers. They have been found in top floors of tall buildings as well as the kitchens of normal size structures, though they are not believed to fly. A bad infestation can invade a home causing extensive damage to property and they are also known to short electrical units. They may forage long distances from their nest, making infestations even more difficult to control. A crazy ant worker will carry food on its back long distances to its nest to feed the colony. Crazy Ant Colonies are actually quite moderate in size and several queens (8-40) might reside in one colony. When a Queen has mated she will then lay her eggs in the nest for the worker ants to care for. The life cycle of a crazy ant is typically 76-84 days. These nuisances don’t sting, but they will bite and these minor bites are treated easily, not typically requiring medical attention.

If the crazy ant isn’t controlled they can become a larger problem. These destructive and abrasive insects reproduce quickly which makes controlling them more of a challenge. These ants aren’t attracted to the typical ant baits or red ant baits. Commercial products do not have an impact on the crazy ant. The best solution to these pests is contracting a qualified pest control specialist. After the treatment, any ants that survive may relocate their colony. Treatment is recommended every 30 days because these ants are known to re-invade, which makes them nearly impossible to eradicate.

W.J. Arnold. © 2016

https://my.carbonmade.com/portfolio/projects/6040311

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://wjarnold.carbonmade.com/.

Categories
ants insects

What is an effective way to manage the Tawny Crazy Ant, Nylanderia fulva (Mayr)?

The Tawny crazy ant or Rasberry crazy ant is originally from South America.  The name comes from the erratic movement patterns of the ants. They get their Rasberry name from an exterminator, Tom Rasberry, who first discovered them in Florida.While they are mostly located throughout South America, they can be found in 27 gulf states in the USA.

The crazy ant is much smaller than the red fire ant, though they appear fairly physically similar. These ants cover their bodies in formic acid. This acid is used for two specific reasons: the acid protects them from the venom of fire ants and as weapon to use against attackers. While it is common for ants to use this acid when biting aggressors, using the acid as an antidote is unique to this species.

This is the first discovery of the technique of an insect using acid as an antidote. It was also the first discovery of the use of ionic liquids in nature.  While there are a few theories as to how this works, the truth is currently unknown.  

They are a tremendous pest in some South American countries.  Several cattle herds and chicken flocks in Colombia have been severally damaged because of ant attacks.  These ants also cultivate the growth of insects, so that they can feed.  Unfortunately, the insects that they cultivate dry out grasslands and kill plants.

They are often found destroying or living near electrical equipment  While scientists are not certain why these ants do this, it makes them an extremely annoying and destructive pest.

There are a number of ways to get rid of theses pests. The first step is to detect the nest. Because of the movement patterns of these ants, it helps to set out some honey or peanut butter based bait for the ants. Be sure to check under rocks or rotting vegetation, as these ants do not create their own mounds or hills.

The second step normally involves some kind of insecticide. It is important that you use a non-repellent insecticide. Non-repellent poisons are not detectable by the ants and they will spread when an ant walks over, and onto any of the other ants once they interact. While there are number of different brands of insecticide, it is recommend that you use, Taurus SC, FUSE, or Dominion 2L. Each brand has different instructions as to how you should go about spraying the insecticide.  

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