May be only a matter of time before ‘hairy crazy ant' bugs Georgia

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By Christopher Seward

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If all of a sudden the ground appears to be moving, or the side of a tree appears to be shifting, you may be looking at Georgia’s next big six-legged headache.

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In this photo provided by Mississippi State Entomological Museum, a queen Nylanderia pubens (ant) specimen is seen in Starkville, Miss., Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. Hairy crazy ants are on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The flea-sized critters are called crazy because each ant in the horde seems to scramble randomly, moving so fast that videos look as if they're on fast-forward. They’re called hairy because of dense “hair” that, to the naked eye, make them look less glossy than their cousins.

AP, AP In this photo provided by Mississippi State Entomological Museum, a queen Nylanderia pubens (ant) specimen is seen in Starkville, Miss., Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. Hairy crazy ants are on the move in Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. The flea-sized critters are called crazy because each ant in the horde seems to scramble randomly, moving so fast that videos look as if they're on fast-forward. They’re called hairy because of dense “hair” that, to the naked eye, make them look less glossy than their cousins.

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Meet the hairy crazy ant -- hairy because of its fine fuzz, crazy because of its helter-skelter behavior at lightning speeds.

The insect is already menacing parts of Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, and experts say it may only be a matter of time before it makes its way northward to Georgia, just like the Formosan termite and the fire ant did years ago.

What sets the hairy crazy ant apart from other ants is the sheer number in its colonies – think gazillions.

With the help of cargo, the tropical ant has migrated from South America, through the Caribbean islands to the Gulf States as it moves northward, said Ron Harrison, director of technical services for Orkin Pest Control, a division of Atlanta-based Rollins Corp.

“We were told that fire ants would never get to Atlanta, and they were able to do that,” Harrison said. “I think we will have [hairy crazy ant] infestations in Georgia. Will our colder winters in Atlanta knock them back? Right now I’d say yes, but the bugs are changing and adapting, so there is always a chance they could become a problem.”

Harrison said there is a native crazy ant that is already in Georgia but not the “hairy” crazy ant species.

He said his company is already working to fight infestations along the Gulf Coast.

“I’ve been in situations in the Gulf Coast states where the ground is moving,” Harrison said. “There are just millions. You find them in trees and on someone’s house. You find piles and piles, inches thick of dead ants."

The ants aren’t a threat to humans and animals like fire ants, but they can be as destructive to utility transformers and electrical outlets, sometimes shorting them and causing fires.

Harrison said that if, or when, it makes its way to Georgia, it will be by possibly hitching a ride on flora or other products brought into the state, or on moving vans.

According to an Associated Press report, 20 counties in Florida are reporting infestations, up from five in 2000. Texas has 18 counties with the ant nine years after first reports came in. The ant also is in two counties in Mississippi and at least one in Louisiana.

Harrison said if Georgians have relatives in those areas they should be “very, very careful” about receiving potted plants or other items in which the ants could travel.

On the upside, if there is one, hairy crazy ants are a threat to fire ants, and Harrison said they will seek and destroy any fire ants in their path.