Crazy Ant latest pest threat to hit Wharton County homes
By BRENDA SOMMER news1@leader-news.com

BUT THEY RARELY BITE: James Socha, who lives in the Sandy Corners subdivision just north of El Campo, lets Caribbean Crazy Ants swarm over his hand as he shows the frenetic behavior of the creatures.

Now that El Campo homeowners are finally getting a handle on imported fire ants, another six-legged threat is making its way toward the city, one that can't be killed off or controlled.

County Extension Agent Peter McGuill reports an infestation of Caribbean Crazy Ants has been initially identified in the Sandy Corners subdivision, just north of El Campo and to the west of Hwy. 71.

"I started getting calls from people in Sandy Corners about an ant they had over there that was getting in houses, cars, everything, just going everywhere," McGuill said. "I talked to them, and we couldn't

L-N Photo by Brenda Sommer They're Everywhere Sandy Corners homeowner James Socha shows how Caribbean Crazy Ants have taken over every inch of his yard. There is no known way to get rid of the imported pests, which have also been found in four other Texas counties.

figure out what it was, so one homeowner caught some, brought them in and we sent them to (Texas) A&M (University)."

Entomologists at A&M told McGuill they believe the ants to be Caribbean Crazy Ants (Paratrechina pubens) which originated in Asia and Africa, and whose common name reflects their frenzied, chaotic, non-stop movements.

The pests, not native to the Americas, first arrived in this country in Florida more than 60 years ago, and have established themselves in and around Houston.

"The thing about this ant is, they don't nest, they don't have a mound," McGuill said. "They nest under anything, and have multiple queens, so they can split and multiply very easily. They will nest under a bit of grass and they always carry their larvae with them."

The good news about crazy ants is they almost never bite, and even when they do, their bite is nothing like the painful attack of a fire ant, which disappear once crazy ants establish themselves.

Jason Meyers, a doctoral student at A&M's Department of Entomology, is currently doing studies to see what, if anything, might be done to kill or knock back infestations of crazy ants.

"They don't have a stinger, so their bites are not as much a medical issue as with red imported fire ants," Meyers said. "That doesn't mean someone couldn't be allergic to their bite - there's always that very rare case that could come true."

Sandy Corners homeowner James Socha knows very well the crazy ants' disinterest in biting. While showing their infestation in his lush, neatly trimmed yard on Duckett Street, he allowed the ants to swarm over his hands, then simply brushed them away.

"I've never seen anything like it," Socha said.

Crazy ants appeared for the first time this spring, and Socha said he hasn't seen a fire ant since. The crazy ants have taken over every inch of his yard, making thousands of trails through the grass, over paving stones, and even up trees and other plants.

One neighbor went to start her car one morning, he said, only to have the ants shoot out of the air conditioning vents, the ignition keyhole and most all other access-ways to the inside of her vehicle.

That is part of what makes these pests so irritating, Meyers said, even though they don't bite.

"The main issue with these ants is that they are an immense annoyance," the entomologist said. "The impact for agriculture? We don't know yet. Hopefully, there's nothing, but we don't know yet. Without question, electrical devices on farms and ranches are vulnerable, because they've been known to short out low voltage electrical apparatuses. About the largest we know of is a sewage lift station."

"As for homeowners, with the heaviest infestations, you can't sit in your backyard in the evening, because as soon as you sit down, you have a couple hundred crawling up your legs," he said. "And your pets don't want to go outside anymore."

Socha is using fire ant dust to try to keep the crazy ants out of his house and patio, but said all it does is slow down the pests.

"Some in the neighborhood have had professionals spray, but that only lasts about 10 days and then they're back," he said. "There's no way to stop them."

Meyers, who is careful to note he has not been given samples to confirm the presence of the ant in Wharton County, did say there is no known way kill the creatures, and that his studies have given no cause for hope.

He is testing various professional only termite killers to see if they have any permanent effect on crazy ants, but they've so far only knocked the population back for one to three months.

"We're working on different insecticides, different baits, none of which seem to be the magic bean that we need," he said. "It's probably going to come to a comprehensive, temporarily distributed treatment that will not be relatively cheap compared to other treatments for other ant species."

Lack of funding and interest by governmental agencies means relief is a long time away for Sandy Corners or any other area infested with the creatures, Meyers said.

"That could be rushed if we had funding, and had some sort of plan to slow down, if not completely cease the spread of these ants, which sorry to say is not likely," Meyers said.

Until researchers come up with a battle plan to stop the spread of the ants, their habits will likely mean they'll become a more common sight in Wharton County.

"They spread because they can be easily transported from one location to another, and because they like to move their nests quite a bit," Meyers said. Crazy ants are spread by cars, and by simply walking across roads, drainage ditches and highways, mostly at night.

Socha said crazy ants seem to prefer traveling on the smooth surfaces of driveways, paving stones, sidewalks and streets.

"In the evenings, when the streets cool down, you can see them, all heading east to El Campo," Socha said. "Get ready, El Campo. They're marching your way."