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
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