Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Black Crazy Ants


These ants are really living up to their name. This winter has been the worst that I can remember that these ants are so active. I would say that 90 percent of calls have been about these Black Crazy Ants and they are very active inside homes, in bathrooms, kitchens, living areas. If you are having a problem with these ants you are not the only one. They are having a field day.

CRAZY ANT Paratrechina longicornis: Small, dark grey to black ants, that are easily recognized by their extremely long legs and antennae. Crazy ants get their name from their habit of running about very erratically with no apparent sense of direction. Colonies can most often be found living in soil, under items such as logs, stones, landscape timbers, wood, debris, and living under above-ground swimming pools. Crazy ants feed on a wide variety of foods, including other insects, grease, and sweets. They have been known to feed on the larvae of fleas and flies, and also have been observed carrying away fire ant queens immediately following a swarm.