They’re small, fast, and only an eighth-of-an-inch long, but swarms of tiny ants are causing big pains for homeowners in the Houston area.
First identified in Texas in 2002, the ants are believed to have arrived onboard cargo ships.
The ants have raised havoc in homes and yards across three counties surrounding Houston and the number of infested areas is expected to reach well beyond the Houston area.
"These ants are raising havoc," said Roger Gold, professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in College Station, in a recent article published by Computerworld. "They’re foraging for food, and they’ll go into any space looking for it. In the process, they make their way into sensitive equipment."
Like some ants, the "crazy rasberry ants" are known to be attracted to electronic equipment sometimes costing the owners thousands of dollars in damage.
The ants have been documented fouling computers, ruining sewage pumps, and shorting out vehicles after crawling inside.
Residential areas, however, are not the only places infected by the ants. In March, NASA’s Houston Johnson Space Center saw pockets of infestations developing on its property.