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Caribbean crazy ant is name of P. pubens |
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'''''Paratrechina'' species near ''pubens''''' is a species of ant, commonly called the '''Crazy Rasberry ant''', after Texan exterminator Tom Rasberry. The ants are about one-eighth inch long and are covered with reddish-brown hairs. The colonies have multiple queens.
There is currently a large infestation in five counties around [[Houston, Texas]], which may have originated from a cargo ship in 2002. The ants feed on [[Coccinellidae|ladybug]]s, [[Solenopsis invicta|fire ants]] and [[Attwater's Prairie Chicken|Attwater's prairie chicken]] hatchlings, as well as plants. For reasons that are not understood, the ants are attracted to electrical equipment, such as pumps, computers, and fire alarms. The ants are not attracted to ordinary ant baits, and are not controlled by over-the-counter pesticides.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080515/ap_on_re_us/texas_ants;_ylt=Amuuu3dPi58OpMzGIOMc2Kys0NUE Ants swarm over Houston area, fouling electronics], retrieved 15 May 2008</ref> There is doubt about the species assignment, so the provisional name '''''Paratrechina'' species near ''pubens''''' is sometimes used for the Texan population, since it is closely related to, if not the same species as, ''[[Paratrechina pubens]]''.
==References==
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