Are You Experiencing The Crazy Ant Invasion?

We've been getting many calls lately about tiny ants invading yards in our Jacksonville service area by the thousands. So we asked Dr. Claude Thomas, a pest control expert on staff here at Lindsey Pest Services, to share some insight into what those crazy ants are and what they're doing in our yards.

What are crazy ants?

Crazy ants go by many names. They are referred to as rasberry crazy ants, named after Tom Rasberry, an exterminator in Texas who started noticing these ants in the early 2000s. Crazy ants are often called Caribbean crazy ants because it is believed that they originate from the Caribbean. They may also be referred to as Tawny fire ants because of their tannish orange coloration.

Crazy ants started appearing in Jacksonville several years ago. Initial infestations were recorded by the port and it is believed that they came by ship. They can be found throughout Florida and all along the gulf coast from the Keys to the tip of Texas.

Why are there so many crazy ants?

These ants reproduce like crazy—pun intended. There are a few reasons for their incredible ability to grow their populations.

• Crazy ants have multiple queens in each nest and are able to produce thousands of new ants in a few weeks.
• Crazy ant colonies can easily split into more than one colony. This is called budding.
• Crazy ants are occasional nesters. This means they can live temporarily underneath a leaf, a plant or inside a cement crack.
• What can I expect from crazy ants?

When crazy ants come into Jacksonville yards, they eliminate fire ants. At first, this may seem like a good thing, but residents who've had an infestation of crazy ants say they prefer the fire ants. Here are a few reasons why:

These ants are known to travel in large numbers and it can seem like your whole yard is moving. They can get under every rock, crawl up every tree, cover landscape vegetation and objects sitting in your yard.

They can get into electrical equipment and clog things up or cause a short.

While they don't sting like a fire ant or inject venom, they can bite. Bites from crazy ants feel like tiny pinches and the pain fades quickly.

Crazy ants can pick up harmful bacteria from trash cans and other dirty objects and spread them too sensitive areas.

What can I do about crazy ants in Jacksonville?

Attempting to control these ants with DIY ant control products often leads to budding. This can cause your ant problem to go from bad to worse. The best course of action is to contact the pest control experts here at Lindsey Pest Service. We use field-tested products and methods to effectively arrest crazy ant infestation in Jacksonville. Reach out to us. We can help.