Crazy Ants

They are called crazy ants because they act, well crazy moving in a fast frenzy as they swarm along. Nylanderia fulva in less scientific terms are also called raspberry ants or tawny crazy ants. They are also sometimes referred to as Caribbean crazy ants. For my purposes I’ll just refer to them as crazy ants. I first saw them at the Jacksonville Zoo and they have become quite a pest there, enough to gum up the works in the zoo train when swarms are run over on the tracks. Unlike fire ants and more like sugar ants the crazy ants will come into your home. On the other hand, other than being considered a nuisance, crazy ants have some interesting, possibly positive characteristics. They, unlike fire ants, do not bite. They produce chemicals they then rub on themselves as an antidote to fire ant venom when they get in fights with fire ants and have even taken over fire ant nests. Although they are said to originate in Brazil, and yet are sometimes called Caribbean ants, I have yet to see them here, on Andros, Bahamas (in the Caribbean) so there is that. I am also happy to report that I haven’t seen them in south GA. Wish I could say the same for fire ants.