Invasive Yellow Crazy Ants Wreak Havoc in Multiple Villages in India

Yellow crazy ants have been reported to cause devastation in multiple villages in Tamil Nadu, India, as of Thursday, August 18.

The acid-spraying ants caused the destruction of crops and deaths of livestock, affecting the livelihood of residents in the affected communities.

The growing threat worries experts, who claim that the continuance of the invasive rally could affect the ecology of the region.

While there have been no recorded human casualties, experts clarify that the acid do not pose life-threatening risks on us but only allergic reactions.

However, the ecological and environmental impact caused by the ant invasion in the Indian state could indirectly put villagers in a state of hunger or famine.

This comes after reports that even cattle, snakes, and rabbits have died after being attacked by the ants.

Yellow crazy ants are known to be an invasive species which can bring down native habitats and reportedly kill various animal groups like arthropods, birds, reptiles, and mammals, on the canopy or forest floor.

With this, scientists are worried that certain species could be extinct if the proliferation of the ants continue.

The ants got their name since they move in a random, uncoordinated manner and their movement becomes more frantic when disturbed.

Tamil Nadu Ant Invasion

(Photo : Seychelles Islands Foundation via Wikimedia Commons)

Seven villages consisting of hundreds of people in the southern state are facing an insurmountable yellow crazy ant infestation, according to the BBC Tamil.

In particular, ant invasion in Tamil Nadu is taking place in a hilly region surrounding the Karanthamalai forest in Dindigul district.

Most people in t the area are cattle owners and farmers.

One of the residents named, Selvam, a 55-year-old farmer, told the BBC Tamil that they could not go into the forest since ants climb on humans as soon as they step in, causing irritation and blisters.

The invasive ants also prevent them from carrying water, which the notorious insects also swarm too.

Also Read: Dublin at Risk of Ant Infestation This Summer After 80% Increase in Ant Reports Nationwide

Yellow Crazy Ants

Contrary to popular belief, yellow crazy ants do not bite but instead spray formic acid to blind and kill their prey, according to the Invasive Species Council.

Despite their tiny size, they can swarm in large numbers capable of destroying ecosystems and killing larger animals like, bird chicks, frogs, lizards, small mammals, and turtle hatchlings.

The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) ranks no. 6 in the "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species," based on the Global Invasive Species Database.

The list indicates Anoplolepis has invaded many native ecosystems and caused environmental damage worldwide, spanning from Hawaii, United States, all the way to Seychelles and Zanzibar.

In the Indian Ocean, the yellow crazy ants have devastated Australia's Christmas Island by forming multi-queen super colonies, replacing native ants and taking over their food, and decimating millions of red land crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) populations, according to the list.

The said data content was developed and is managed by the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) under the Species Survival Commission (SSC), a part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).