If your business services the Southern U.S., tawny crazy ants may be a potential or immediate threat to your service areas. These invasive pests often have multiple queens in their colonies, making them difficult to control, and can cause extensive damage to homeowners’ properties. Understanding the tawny crazy ant’s identification history and increasing presence in the Southern U.S. can help pave the way for comprehensive control efforts.
 What’s in a name?
Pest Management Professionals (PMPs) in Florida and in Texas reported difficulty controlling large populations of tawny crazy ants beginning in the mid-1990s. In Florida, this pest was referred to as the Caribbean crazy ant in the genus Paratrechina sp., similar to the black crazy ant species (P. longicornis). In Texas, the ant became known as the Rasberry crazy ant in the genus Paratrechina sp. nr. pubens. However, the physical description of the pest, its behavior and its infestation levels were identical in both geographies. After a comprehensive taxonomic analysis in 2012, researchers determined these ants were the same species (Nylanderia fulva), and provided the commonly accepted name of the tawny crazy ant.
Defining features
Tawny crazy ants can be identified according to the following characteristics:
- All colony members share the same form (monomorphic) and are medium-sized (approximately 1/8 inch long)
- Reddish-brown in color
- Tend to be thousands to millions of individuals in a colony
- Foraging and trailing behavior is erratic, skittish and sometimes random, but always rapid
- Worker ants have 12 segmented antennae and a single node, and appear hairy under magnification
Liquid residual control is key
Research into the habits, nutritional requirements and control strategies for tawny crazy ants is ongoing at several universities in the Southeast U.S. However, PMPs are finding this ant species is one of the most challenging to manage, given the enormous numbers of ants present in a colony or infestation. Entire lawns, yards or perimeters of structures can be overrun by hundreds of thousands, if not millions of foraging ants.
PMPs have generally had good results by making area-wide liquid spray treatments, particularly with non-repellent insecticides that can provide 30 to 60 days residual control. Syngenta Professional Pest Management (PPM) offers a variety of products that fit this criteria, including Arilon® insecticide,Optigard® Flex insecticide and Tandem® insecticide. Per the product labels, liquid treatments should be applied using high volumes to the following areas:
- Perimeters of infested structures up to 3 feet high
- All mulched flower beds, planting areas and landscaped areas
- Entire yard and lawn areas
- Tree trunks, lower limbs and shrubs within a lawn area
Syngenta PPM is committed to keeping you informed about the latest developments on emerging pest species, such as tawny crazy ants, so you can keep these pests from disrupting your customers’ environments. For more information about tawny crazy ants and how you can control them, please contact your local Syngenta sales representative.
The updated Arilon label is not approved for use in the State of California.
In the State of New York, Tandem may only be applied for indoor uses.
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