Fight ant infestations the right way

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Ant infestations are big problem in Texas. But when fighting the war, knowing your enemy could make a big difference on your wallet.

Kaycee Glenn's skin has been crawling. So has her carpet.

"Everybody knows in the summer you get bugs coming through, not like this," she said. "Now they're all going to the clothes."

The recent rains have ants moving indoor, and there is often more than one variety of ant behind an infestation.

We brought in the man for whom the Rasberry crazy ant is named: exterminator Tom Rasberry. He's getting a lot of business out of the recent rains.

"You're going to have a pretty significant amount of ants behind this colony," Rasberry said. "Therefore the ants are gonna gravitate toward the high point to get out of the water tables."

Rasberry says the region is home to some 300 varieties of ants. In the Glenn house, only three were at work: fire, rover and crazy ants.

"Treating them the wrong way normally does more damage than good," Rasberry said.

Fire ants have bad bites but are easily treated with granules, other ants respond to common sprays; crazy ants require deep yard spraying by a professional, and under-treating can create bigger colonies.

Bottom line is you've got to know the enemy.

"The fact there's so many different kinds just creeps me out more," Glenn said.