AUSTIN, Texas — It is not just people moving into our area every day, but also swarms of an invasive ant species. University of Texas at Austin researchers at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory are now trying to get their population under control.

Tawny crazy ants get their name because of their color and the way they forage. While the colonies move chaotically, they are also incredibly dense. The invasive insects reach residents in more than 30 counties across Texas.

“Hundred and thousands of ants coming into their houses all the time, sweeping up dustpans full of dead ants out of their bathrooms regularly, continually having to apply these pesticide treatments to keep them out the house, which fail after about two to three months,” said Dr. Edward LeBrun, a research scientist the Brackenridge Field Laboratory in the Department of Integrated Biology.

Tawny crazy ants do not sting, but can bite people, livestock and wildlife. They also tend to infest around electrical equipment for their small, enclosed spaces, which can cause short circuits and equipment failure. 

While the numbers are a nuisance, experts said the increasing population has bigger implications on the ecosystem. 

“Those really enormous densities have very suppressive effects on the other organisms, the other animals, the insects in the system, where basically the only thing left almost are crazy ants and a few other things that are able to hold on,” LeBrun said.  

The City of Austin and Travis County approved up to $25,300 in funding so researchers at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory can study experimental treatment within Balcones Canyonlands Preserve sites. There, tawny crazy ants are threatening endangered birds. 

“Animals and natural systems are inherently valuable. It’s just something I think most people really appreciated having,” LeBrun said. “When you allow invasive species like tawny crazy ants to eliminate those things, you’re losing things you can’t replace. 

According to the Texas A&M University Entomology Department, tawny crazy ants have been confirmed in the follow counties: Angelina, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Lavaca, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nueces, Orange, Polk, San Augustine, Travis, Victoria, Walker, Wharton, and Williamson counties.

Researchers say homeowners who live around infestations may need to call  pest control providers. They encourage people to avoid spreading species to new locations, by always checking for ants before moving anything around infestations.