Tawny Crazy Ant (Nylanderia fulva) has been nicknamed for the way it moves. It is spreading from the Gulf Coast throughout Texas by being transported by humans. Learn more about this South American species’ successful invasion of both natural environments and areas influenced by human disturbance. The invasion by tawny crazy ants of Texas nature preserves designed to protect migrating and endangered birds is particularly alarming.; crazy ants develop dense populations where they establish, displacing native ants and many arthropods. The reduction in the arthropod food base is certain to reduce the success of animals like nesting birds, and their sheer numbers may also directly affect the survival of nestlings.
Interestingly, dense populations of invading tawny crazy ants also displace the notoriously tough imported fire ant; crazy ants can easily kick fire ants off of food resources and even take over their mounds.
You can report sightings of “uniformly-sized 1/8-inch long, reddish-brown ants that forage randomly and erratically” at Texas Invasives. Learn more about invasive species from Ashley Morgan-Olvera, director of the Texas Invasive Species Institute located at Sam Houston State University, during this half-day workshop.