We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. Yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes) are one of the worst invasive species on Earth. They are more commonly called as a long-legged ant. Yellow crazy ant, long-legged ant. Summary of Invasiveness Top of page. The Wet Tropics Management Authority estimates it needs at least ten more years to eradicate yellow crazy ants from the Cairns and Kuranda areas.The cost of eradicating yellow crazy ants is tiny compared to the value of our Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
Front of head of worker, yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes. Their original habitat is not known, but they have spread throughout many of the world’s tropical and subtropical regions. Yellow crazy ants are in the top 100 invasive species and are invading our territory. In fact, many similar micro-wasps already live on the island.Scientific studies indicate that this particular micro-wasp will stop crazy ants by cutting down their food supply, honeydew. Common Name. They have spread extensively in Queensland since they were first discovered in Cairns in 2001.
But at this stage we don’t know for sure what impact this is having on crazy ant super-colonies.Micro-wasps are already used for biological control on mainland Australia, so this approach is fairly common.We’re a long way from the days of the cane toad, which was released in Australia with very little scientific testing. Thanks to a lack of natural predators on the island, they have been able to form super-colonies covering hundreds of hectares and supporting billions of ants.Crazy ants defend themselves by spraying formic acid, one of nature’s most powerful acids. Preventing and controlling crazy ants begins with a thorough inspection. A micro-wasp kills a lac scale insect by laying eggs inside it.These micro-wasps are extremely ‘host-specific’ – they prey only on one particular species of lac scale insect and do not harm anything else.Rangers and scientists are rearing the micro-wasps and releasing them into super-colonies of crazy ants.So far we’ve seen the number of lac scale insects on the island reduced – good news for our plants. The formic acid that the ants produce at this density can wipe out entire local populations of endemic red crabs. Photo 2. The average size is about 5 mm with yellow-orange and dark brown (abdomen) coloring.
Please send a message to our politicians calling on them to fund the eradication program (if you’ve already sent a message earlier in the year, do this again with our updated text).The Invasive Species Council was formed in 2002 to seek stronger laws, policies and programs to keep Australian biodiversity safe from weeds, feral animals and other invaders. This will hopefully cut down their numbers and stop them causing so much environmental damage on Christmas Island.In this case, the biological control agent that we are using is a tiny insect called a micro-wasp.If the project is successful, it will reduce the need for poison baiting to control the ants.These wasps don’t sting or build nests, nor do they harm humans, native wildlife or horticulture. Google Scholar They kill and consume most other ants, insects, lizards, birds and mammals.
Ants - yellow crazy ant (364) Search. Where it is Found?