1.
Long recovery from mass extinction seen
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- San Antonio is trying to deal with a tiny invader that can cause big problems, the "crazy ant."
A few colonies of crazy ants have been found in one section of the city, the San Antonio Express News reports. They probably arrived from Houston, where they have been established for about 10 years, possibly brought in on plants.
Unlike fire ants, crazy ants do not bite or sting, experts say. What they do is multiply to the point where their colonies have millions or billions of ants.
They also like to live in unlikely places, like the inside of computers. Roger Gold, an entomologist at Texas A&M University, said some chemical manufacturers in Houston had to suspend production because of crazy ant damage.
"These things are horrible," said Gold, part of a joint federal-state crazy ant task force.
"Where these ants occur, even the fire ants move out."
Crazy ants, which prefer warm moist regions, were first reported in Bermuda 100 years ago and have been observed in 14 Texas counties. They were named for their erratic movements.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Science News Stories | |
MIAMI, May 30 (UPI) --
The man who bit off parts of the face of a homeless man in Miami found his victim sleeping in the shade of elevated train tracks, video footage shows.
|
LOS ANGELES, May 30 (UPI) --
Actor Tim Daly said via Twitter his character Pete Wilder won't be on next season of the U.S. medical drama, "Private Practice."
|
ITHACA, N.Y., May 30 (UPI) --
The genome of the tomato has been decoded, a step toward improving yield, nutrition, disease resistance, taste and color of the tomato, U.S. researchers say.
|
TUCSON, May 30 (UPI) --
An Arizona woman said her 8-year-old daughter was humiliated to receive the "Catastrophe Award" from her teacher for giving the most homework excuses.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption
