A Texas study found the ants damage equipment such as airport landing lights, churches, nurseries, sod producers, golf courses, commercial businesses, electric communications, homes, cars, trucks, and even cemeteries.
The hum of electrical equipment is like a love song for these ants. Dr. Drees says that the cold-blooded animals are attracted to the extra warmth that utility housings and other electrical devices give off during winter. The ants seek the shelter of these places during heavy rains. But their mere presence is destructive. The ants bring nesting soil, which has a corrosive effect on wires and switches. The ants chew on insulation, causing short circuits and switch failures. Even worse, ants which are electrocuted in the process of chewing on wires can cause a lemming-like effect. The dead ants release a pheromone that attracts other worker ants. The bodies of dead ants pile up and jam the switching mechanisms and muck up the wiring.
