‘Crazy Raspberry Ants’ Invade Houston, Ruin Computers

You might be wondering whether we’re about to describe the plot of an Ed Wood movie from 1954, but it’s confirmed reality: a species of tiny red ants named after exterminator Tom Raspberry are invading Houston, Texas by the billions and are inexplicably attracted to electronics. They supposedly came in on a cargo ship.

The Huffington Post has it:

The hairy, reddish-brown creatures are known as “crazy raspberry ants” _ crazy, because they wander erratically instead of marching in regimented lines, and “raspberry” after Tom Raspberry, an exterminator who did battle against them early on.

“They’re itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they’re just running everywhere,” said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful. “There’s just thousands and thousands of them. If you’ve seen a car racing, that’s how they are. They’re going fast, fast, fast. They’re crazy.”

They have ruined pumps at sewage pumping stations, fouled computers and at least one homeowner’s gas meter, and caused fire alarms to malfunction.

And when you do kill these ants, the survivors turn it to their advantage: They pile up the dead, sometimes using them as a bridge to cross safely over surfaces treated with pesticide.

No one can explain why these strange little creatures are so interested in electronics. The Texas Department of Agriculture has teamed up with A&M researchers and the EPA to figure out how to stop them from eating Houston alive. Typical ant control methods aren’t working.

Craaaaazy, man. Attack of the crazy electronics-eating super fast ants! They’re coming to get you!

Link [Huffington Post]
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

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