by Marilyn Pease, HCMG |
Rasberry Crazy Ants and
Chilli Thrips
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No, these aren’t
ingredients for a dish
to be consumed by Andrew
Zimmern of “Bizarre
Foods”. These insects
are two of the most
recent invasive pests to
be imported from the
Caribbean area. I’ll
have a mojito instead!
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Rasberry crazy ants were
discovered in 2002 by,
and named after, Tom
Rasberry, a pest control
technician from the
Houston area. He sent a
sample of the ants to
Texas A&M entomologists
who studied them and
decided they were most
likely related to the
Caribbean crazy ant. The
ants are “crazy” because
of their erratic
foraging habits. They
seem to have an affinity
for electricity and post
a threat to traffic
signal boxes and other
important fixtures where
they can nest in the
millions and short out
circuits. They do not
nest in the ground,
preferring structures or
the undersides of
boards, bales of hay or
rocks. Folks who have
dealt with this new ant
say they would rather
have fire ants. That
should tell you
something about the RCA. |
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The RCA can be
controlled through
standard ant eradication
protocols and it is best
to call a professional
since their colonies are
so huge. One could be
potentially shoveling up
dead ants for days after
a home infestation.
Another problem this
poses is that the dead
ants pile up so deep
that the live ants can
just crawl over their
dead friends and be on
their way. The RCA has
been discovered in parts
of San Antonio so be on
the lookout and report
any sightings to your
County Extension agent
or go to
www.urbanentomology.tamu.edu. |
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Chilli thrips are a
nastier version of our
commonly found
rose-munching thrips.
They attached themselves
to the growing points
and suck out plant
juices causing deformed
tip and bud growth.
They, like the RCA, were
accidently imported from
the Caribbean area and,
so far, have been
confined mainly to the
Houston area. These
thrips are of particular
concern to the nursery
trade because an
infestation can cause
great financial losses.
They can be easily
spread throughout the
state by the
transportation of
infected nursery stock. |
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As with all thrips
(always thrips with an
“s”) the Chilli thrips
is very tiny and hard to
spot and identify. ID is
generally done by an
entomologist under a
viewing scope. The
Master Gardeners in the
Houston area are
currently involved in a
Chilli thrips pesticide
trial on “Knockout”
roses. The MG’s take
weekly sample cuttings
of the roses and submit
them to Scott Ludwig who
is the Program
Specialist in charge of
the trial. Again,
contact your County
Extension agent if you
think you have this new
invader. |
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