No Reason to Get Antsy: Rasberrys Don't Grow Here

Posted by Dallas Luxury Realty on Monday, September 10th, 2012 at 12:16pm.

No, that's not a typo; the invasive Rasberry Crazy Ant was named in part after Tom Rasberry, the exterminator who discovered it. This awful little insect has been causing all kinds of problems for Houston-area homeowners, the second part of its naming inspired by its unpredictable staggering movements. At just 1/8 of an inch and covered in tiny red/brown hairs, the Rasberry Crazy Ant doesn't look like much. However, its penchant for chewing through electrical wiring, killing chickens by crawling through their nostrils and asphyxiating them, irritating cattle in their eyes/hoofs/and mouth areas, and biting innocent human bystanders is really making Houston-area homeowners mad.

Rasberry Crazy Ants can be very difficult to kill because there are so many of them and because they do not live in mounded nests like other species. Homeowners who live in infested areas report sweeping up inches of dead insects after an exterminator comes to spray. Contact poisons are ineffective because of the sheer numbers of ants: once a number of ants die from contact with the poison, live ants will just walk right over dead ones. Because there is no central nest and the population is so widely spread out, ants often just keep returning. What's a homeowner to do? The only good solution most homeowners have found is hiring a pest management company. Even these outfits have trouble combatting the critters, but at least the fight isn't as futile as a DIY venture.

So, what does the Rasberry Crazy Ant have to do with us here in Dallas? Nothing! It's just another reason why Dallas real estate is such a great investment! Because this ant species prefers to live in Houston's hot humid climate, they won't be coming up to Dallas any time soon. We can take advantage of fantastic weather while still being northward and dry enough not to experience terrible pest issues, like those caused by the Rasberry Crazy Ant. So sit back, relax, and count that as one more blessing for which to be grateful as a Dallas homeowner!

Leave a Comment

Format example: you@domain.com
Format example: yourwebsitename.com