"Invasive tawny crazy ants are spreading wildly in the southern United States, but these problematic insects seem to have met their match in the form of a highly infectious fungal pathogen. Scientists are now using this naturally occurring fungus to combat crazy ant populations, with surprising success.
New research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is claiming that the microsporidian pathogen Myrmecomorba nylanderiae is a safe, effective, and natural means to curb the spread of crazy ants. In a University of Texas at Austin press release, Edward LeBrun, the lead author of the study and a researcher with the Texas Invasive Species Research Program at Brackenridge Field Laboratory, said the fungal pathogen holds “a lot of potential for the protection of sensitive habitats with endangered species or areas of high conservation value.”
Native to South America, the tawny crazy ant (Nylanderia fulva) has been spreading through the southern U.S. states of Texas, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana for the better part of two decades. The ants are disruptive to populations of insects, spiders, centipedes, crustaceans, and even the odd mammal; the ants are known to blind baby rabbits by oozing an acid into their eyes. They’re an ecological menace, but also a threat to human infrastructure. Crazy ants are infamous for swarming and damaging air conditioning units and other electrical equipment. "
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