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CITATION(Beaumont Enterprise)
Crazy rasberry ants invade Vidor neighborhood with exterminator in hot pursuit
By SARAH MOORE
August, 15, 2008
VIDOR - Crazy rasberry ants have made it to Orange County and could be coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
Residents of Strickland Street have launched a campaign against the tiny invaders, distinguished by their quick erratic locomotion as opposed to the more plodding gait of other ants.
These rapid, senseless peregrinations account for their "crazy" handle. The "rasberry" part comes from exterminator Tom Rasberry, who engaged them in battle.
Billy Perkins first noticed them about four or five days ago.
"They were just along there in front of the house and in front of the garage door and they just kept coming and coming and coming," the retired 79-year-old said.
At first, he battled them with Malathion.
But that didn't stop them for long.
So he called in reinforcements.
The "Bugsperts" from Bill Clark Pest Control sprayed Friday at Perkins' house and that of his neighbor, Bob Slaughter, using Termidor SC, a termite control chemical.
By Friday afternoon, drifts of ants like reddish-brown snow lined the driveway and foundations of Perkins' home.
But they weren't all gone.
Stragglers still could be seen on the grassy lawn.
Bill Clark entomologist Bart Foster said it would likely take more than one visit to squash the infestations.
But once the ants get their foot in the door, they're pretty much part of the landscape.
"They're going to be part of what we do from now on - part of our lives, so to speak," he said.
He will send a sample of the insects to Texas A&M University for official verification, but he has no doubt about what they are:
Tiny.
Reddish brown.
Long legs, long antennae.
And of course there was the signature wild and erratic running around.
Perkins said the critters lived up to their names.
"I watched 'em out there when I first sprayed. They'll bump each other and change directions. They look pretty crazy," he said.
The ants were first noticed in Texas in 2002, according to Enterprise archive stories. The pests, believed to have arrived via cargo ship, quickly colonized Harris County and had spread into Brazoria, Galveston, Montgomery and Wharton counties by May 2008.
By July 1, they had been spotted in Jefferson County.
Foster speculated the ants have been in the Vidor neighborhood for some time to have built up such a population.
He said the ants are spread from place to place through potted plants, soil, mulch, wood or other materials in transit.
The bugs are prolific breeders, with household infestations easily reaching into the millions, Foster said.
The crazy ants don't sting like fire ants and their bite might even go unnoticed, but that doesn't mean they can't cause trouble.
Besides swarming in seething waves and ruining enjoyment of outdoor activities, the ants can invade electrical and electronic appliances, nibbling wires and causing shorts.
They eat plants, other bugs and pretty much any small animals in their paths.
This includes beneficial and endangered species such as Attwater's prairie chicken, according to archive stories.
The state estimates crazy rasberry ants do about $30 million in damage each year.
By SARAH MOORE
August, 15, 2008
VIDOR - Crazy rasberry ants have made it to Orange County and could be coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
Residents of Strickland Street have launched a campaign against the tiny invaders, distinguished by their quick erratic locomotion as opposed to the more plodding gait of other ants.
These rapid, senseless peregrinations account for their "crazy" handle. The "rasberry" part comes from exterminator Tom Rasberry, who engaged them in battle.
Billy Perkins first noticed them about four or five days ago.
"They were just along there in front of the house and in front of the garage door and they just kept coming and coming and coming," the retired 79-year-old said.
At first, he battled them with Malathion.
But that didn't stop them for long.
So he called in reinforcements.
The "Bugsperts" from Bill Clark Pest Control sprayed Friday at Perkins' house and that of his neighbor, Bob Slaughter, using Termidor SC, a termite control chemical.
By Friday afternoon, drifts of ants like reddish-brown snow lined the driveway and foundations of Perkins' home.
But they weren't all gone.
Stragglers still could be seen on the grassy lawn.
Bill Clark entomologist Bart Foster said it would likely take more than one visit to squash the infestations.
But once the ants get their foot in the door, they're pretty much part of the landscape.
"They're going to be part of what we do from now on - part of our lives, so to speak," he said.
He will send a sample of the insects to Texas A&M University for official verification, but he has no doubt about what they are:
Tiny.
Reddish brown.
Long legs, long antennae.
And of course there was the signature wild and erratic running around.
Perkins said the critters lived up to their names.
"I watched 'em out there when I first sprayed. They'll bump each other and change directions. They look pretty crazy," he said.
The ants were first noticed in Texas in 2002, according to Enterprise archive stories. The pests, believed to have arrived via cargo ship, quickly colonized Harris County and had spread into Brazoria, Galveston, Montgomery and Wharton counties by May 2008.
By July 1, they had been spotted in Jefferson County.
Foster speculated the ants have been in the Vidor neighborhood for some time to have built up such a population.
He said the ants are spread from place to place through potted plants, soil, mulch, wood or other materials in transit.
The bugs are prolific breeders, with household infestations easily reaching into the millions, Foster said.
The crazy ants don't sting like fire ants and their bite might even go unnoticed, but that doesn't mean they can't cause trouble.
Besides swarming in seething waves and ruining enjoyment of outdoor activities, the ants can invade electrical and electronic appliances, nibbling wires and causing shorts.
They eat plants, other bugs and pretty much any small animals in their paths.
This includes beneficial and endangered species such as Attwater's prairie chicken, according to archive stories.
The state estimates crazy rasberry ants do about $30 million in damage each year.
Source : Beaumont Entreprise News
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