Crazy Ants

Identification of Rasberry / Caribbean Crazy Ants

Rasberry crazy ants are named after the pest control professional in Texas who discovered them, not the fruit. This is not the official name of this ant species, but a colloquial term that has been adopted. The ants are very small, only about 1/8th of an inch long and are golden brown or reddish brown in color. These are different than Yellow Crazy Ants. They have a shiny surface but are covered in hairs. The workers have very long legs and long, twelve segmented antennae. They get the “crazy” part of their name from the erratic, rapid movements they make when foraging or moving from place to place, very unlike the strait, regular trails that most ants make. These ants can be found in huge numbers, into the billions, which is why they cause so many issues.  These huge colonies are known to cause power outages by invading power equipment causing short circuits, in addition to invading homes and businesses.

Similar Crazy Ant Species

Rasberry crazy ants are separate from other crazy ant species. Regular crazy ants look different than Rasberry crazy ants. Crazy ants are about the same size, but are very dark in color. They have much longer legs and much longer antennae than Rasberry crazy ants and are a bit more widespread. They have much smaller colonies, however. Caribbean crazy ants look very similar to Rasberry crazy ants and are often mistaken for them. However they both may be treated similarly to Rasberry crazy ants.

Rasberry / Caribbean Crazy Ant Habitats

Thought to have come from South America and transported through shipping, Rasberry crazy ants tend to nest under anything that can retain moisture, like yard litter, stones, logs, debris, and any voids. They do not build mounds or create nests. These ants tend to accumulate near electrical equipment, and the extremely large numbers have been known to cause equipment failure and electrical short outs. They aren’t very picky about what they eat but often “tend” insects that produce honeydew. 

Rasberry / Caribbean Crazy Ant Control

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Crazy ant species do not respond to normal ant treatments like bait stations. They don’t feed on the bait and don’t seem to be repelled by contact treatments. Since they’re often found outdoors, indoor treatments are ineffective. Follow these steps to get rid of crazy ants:

• Remove all possible shelter items from the yard or outdoor areas, including large rocks, leaf litter, logs, potted plants, and other voids. 
• Repair any leaking faucets and pipes, and minimize all standing water sources like pet bowls and flowerbeds.
• We recommend the following products that have shown effectiveness against this invasive ant species:
  • Taurus SC - an effective non-repellent insecticide (Termidor SC can also be used). Treat one foot up the exterior walls and one foot away from the base of the building. Under the Section 18 Emergency Exemption, certain coastal Texas counties, Termidor SC can apply three feet up and ten feet away from the structure, twice per year at 60 day intervals.
  • InVict Blitz Ant Granules - a bait specifically designed to be palatable to Rasberry/Caribbean Crazy ants.  InVict Blitz will be identified as a food by worker ants and carried back to the colony to be fed to the larvae.  InVict Blitz contains imidacloprid and when fed to the ant colony will cause high mortality through ingestion and transfer to other ants.  It is important to bait early in the season (February - March) to reduce colony sizes.  InVict Blitz can be re-applied on a weekly basis.
  • CimeXa Insecticide dust is a non-repellent insecticide dust that will last 10 years when left undisturbed.  CimeXa should be applied to void areas around the structure.  When ants come in contact with CimeXa, they will die.