Yellow Crazy Ant

Anoplolepis gracilipes

Yellow Crazy Ant (Anoplolepis Gracilipes)
  • Philipp Hoenle, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
    •

    • Color: Honey-yellow, brown
    • Worker size: 3 - 4 millimetres
    • Colony size: 10,000+
    • Queen: 12 millimetres, claustral, polygyne

    Introduction

    The yellow crazy ant is an ant species native to southeastern Asia. However, some people say that it’s debatable. They are an extremely large problem on Christmas Island as they can damage the red crab population. Since they have no predators and lots of prey, they can create massive supercolonies that contain millions. They find themselves on different continents by hitching a ride on cargo ships. Their color is not the pure yellow you might have expected, more like a slightly dark honey yellow on the head and the thorax, and brown on the abdomen. They are what the name says, yellow, and crazy. They can move crazily and have wild and frantic movements. They will be especially crazy if you disturb them or their nests. They have long body parts. All the body parts are long, especially the legs. They are 3-4mm long.

    Unique Traits

    Lunatic Conquerors

    The yellow crazy ant can be extremely aggressive, and will try (and usually succeed) to out compete the other insects and animals. They are an extremely big problem on Christmas Island as they can harm and damage all the native animals, especially the world famous red crabs. When they feel threatened, they can run around erratically and wildly. They do not attack humans. They are known for their catastrophic impact on Christmas Island and other places.

    Defences

    The yellow crazy ant’s defense is the formic acid spray. Formic acid is a relatively weak acid, but is extremely strong in nature. It is so strong it is the reason they're the reason much damage has been caused to native populations on Christmas Island. Yellow crazy ants can swarm to get animals out of their way. They are effective killers as they can spray formic acid into their enemy’s eyes, immobilizing them.

    Habitat & Diet

    We do not know where the yellow crazy ant originated from. What we do know is that they are an extremely dangerous invasive species that threaten local populations everywhere. They are omnivorous and eat things ranging from honeydew to insects and grubs. On Christmas Island they do not have any predators, allowing them to form supercolonies. These super colonies have a density of about 1000 ants/square metres. At that scale, they have the power to wipe out the red crabs on Christmas Island. They can be gotten rid of by using poison bait. You can use that in your home but should call professionals such as exterminators. The yellow crazy ants are being taken care of by using micro flies. These flies eat the insects who produce honeydew, severing the yellow crazy ant’s food source.

    Sources:

    Written by: Calen Hu | Revised by: Eric Qian