Ants cripple computers in Texas
/v3-uk/news/2001879/ants-cripple-computers-texas
15 May 2008, Iain Thomson , V3
Electrical systems in Houston have been failing after a huge influx of ants, according to reports from Associated Press.
The ants are resistant to over-the-counter poisons and have ruined pumping equipment at sewage stations, damaged computers and caused fire alarms to malfunction.
Like many insects, the ants are attracted by electronic devices.
"At this point, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate the ant because it is so widely dispersed," said Roger Gold, an entomologist at Texas A&M University.
The ants probably arrived in a cargo shipment. Their cousins, commonly called crazy ants, are found in the south eastern US states and the Caribbean.
The spring weather has caused the population to explode and they are now affecting businesses and homes across Houston.
"They're itty-bitty things about the size of fleas, and they're just running everywhere," said Patsy Morphew of Pearland, who is constantly sweeping them off her patio and scooping them out of her pool by the cupful.
"There's just thousands and thousands of them. If you've seen a car racing, that's how they are. They're going fast, fast, fast. They're crazy."
Ants can be a major problem around electrical items as they eat through cable insulation on power lines and congregate on metal conductors, causing shorts in electrical lines, junction boxes, traffic and street lights and air conditioners.
It is unclear why ants are so attracted to electricity. A study by the University of Texas found that they prefer DC to AC current, but could find no reason for the attraction.
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Do you agree?
Aardvarks
Maybe it's a good time to legalize pet anteaters.
Posted by Wendilynne, 18 May 2008
Research GrAnt?
"It is unclear why ants are so attracted to electricity. A study by the University of Texas found that they prefer DC to AC current, but could find no reason for the attraction."
Those Texans seem really not so smart? How about guessing -
1. warm cable - heat
2. magnetic field
3. easier to run along a nice smooth cable than rough surfaes and obstacles
I vote for #3. May be I will win a research gr-Ant to study this more?!
Posted by Francis, 16 May 2008
Texans not so smart, eh?
Commenter mentions three possibilties for explanations for the ants' behavior. Note that he says "guesses".
Everybody has the same guesses, guy. The fact that the issue hasn't been narrowed down to a single best-fit possibility is why they said "unclear".
It usually takes some observation and experiment to come up with the answer...not just cheap punditry from Web know-it-alls.
Posted by Byff, 17 May 2008
Electric ants
Way back, I got called to fix a phone installation that was "warbling", and so it was. It was eventually traced to the line terminals across the ringing capacitor, where there was a surprised looking collection of little heads. The ants had wandered about, and discovered that 50volts was enough to fry an ant. Since they follow each other on a ferromone trail, another came along and also zapped itself, and so on, until there was enough conductive matter to set the sounder going. The Texan ants probably dont chew insulation - they just find uninsulated bits with enough voltage to do the business.
Posted by MalcolmF, 16 May 2008