Ants are probably one of the most common and well-known insects in the South and beyond, and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Because of their ubiquitous nature, people will often generalize ants into a single type of insect without any thought to the many different types of ants actually out there.

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For the most part, when it comes to pests, ants usually aren’t too far up the list. Yes, fire ants are nothing to joke about and ant colonies in your home are never fun, but compared to mosquitoes, bees, and cockroaches, those other little guys aren’t that bad. Well, that may now be up for debate thanks to South Louisiana’s newest nuisance: the crazy ant.

Nylanderia Fulva

As their scientific name is a bit of a mouthful, “crazy ant” has really stuck. Plus, it explains these little maniacs well. What else could you call a species of ant so psychotic that even the feared and aggressive fire ants want nothing to do with them?

The real reason they’re called crazy, however, is because of their unpredictability and massive numbers. Although most ants may look chaotic, they actually function quite rationally. Even their winding trails, where one ant follows the next, is dictated by a constant reassessment of the path of least resistance. (more…)