It's been years since the red imported fire ant first made an appearance, and the situation is still not entirely under control. Now a new species has arrived. They are known as `crazy raspberry ants' and they are concentrated in 8 counties in and around Houston. The ants have been in Texas since 2002, but their growth has exploded in the past year, with three more counties added to the list of those already infested.

The ants are called "crazy" because they scurry about in a seemingly random pattern, and they're called `raspberry' not for their appearance, but for Tom Raspberry, the pest controller who first discovered them six years ago.

Unlike the much-reviled fire ant, the crazy raspberry ants don't sting and their bite is relatively inoffensive. But this doesn't mean these ants don't cause problems. What they lack in bite, they make up for in sheer numbers. When crazy raspberry ants infest a property, they tend do so in spectacular fashion. An infestation can number in the billions of ants, and once an infestation is established, property owners find them extremely difficult to control.

Usually the size of an ant colony is held in check by other colonies of the same species--all of them competing for the same resources. If an ant from one colony encounters an ant from another, they will start a fight, often to the death. Colonies may also mount massive raids against one another. No so with the Raspberry ants. Different colonies of raspberry ants are not hostile to each other, but instead treat one another as if they were nest mates. This means that Raspberry ants throughout Texas are just on big happy family, creating what is in effect a single, enormous, statewide "super colony." Without checks from other members of their species and without any natural predators, the Raspberry ants can achieve an almost total environmental control.

When the ants enter homes or industrial sites, they're often drawn to the warm buzz of electrical equipment. Their diminutive size, about 3 mm, means that when teeming masses of them crawl across a circuit board, they can fall between the spaces of electrical elements, closing the loop and shorting out connections. They have damaged pumping stations, fire alarms, and personal computers. They've even made an unsuccessful play for NASA's Johnson space center.

It's clear that the crazy raspberry ants are having an impact on the environment. They kill many other insects, including fire ants and snakes, which has earned them some friends. However, they have also been reported to overwhelm newly hatched birds and small mammals.

Still, much more research needs to be done to determine the lasting environmental consequences of their explosion. One of the basic problems of invasive species is that other species in the regions have not evolved to deal with them. So they can severely affect the numbers of resident species that live in the area. Still the ants seem to have fallen into a regulatory hole.

So what's being done to control these ants? Bryan Black from the Texas Department of Agriculture says that these ants can be controlled using Termidor, a pesticide used to control termites. Recently, at the request of Tom Raspberry, the TDA has expanded labeling of this product to allow pest controllers to use it in significantly larger quantities when combating raspberry ants.

Ki is a Austin real estate agent. His site has a search of the Austin MLS along with general information on the Austin real estate market along with current stats on mortgage rates.

Austin is home to many things: live music, the University of Texas, the state capital; but many people don't realize Austin is also home to the nation's largest urban bat community-and it's right downtown. More than 750,000 Mexican Free-Tail bats make their home under the beams of the Congress Avenue bridge. Following renovations of the iconic bridge in 1980, the bat population took up shelter under the bridge, and it has been their home each summer since.

During the cooler months, the bats make their home in Mexico, but every year during March and April they make their way North to Austin to give birth and feed on the cities abundant bugs (coincidentally, the summer months are when Austin's cricket population reaches its height as well). And before the sun goes down, when they're resting up for their nightly romp around Austin, the bats spend their time under the Congress Avenue bridge. Each evening, just before nightfall, the bats leave their refuge en masse, in an incredible natural exodus-a massive swarm of hundreds of thousands of Mexican Free-Tail bats swirls its way up around the bridge, then dissipates as the bats head off in every direction to feast.

Apparently, the renovations made in 1980 left deep crevices in the bridge, which provide an ideal habitat for the bat colony. Many Austinites consider this an accidental blessing, as the bats are credited with greatly cutting back on the insect population both within the city and throughout the surrounding countryside. In fact, it's estimated that, as a group, the bats consume between 10,000 and 30,000 pounds of insects!

This incredible sight has become an integral part of summer in Austin, and draws hundreds of spectators nightly during the summer months, culminating in late August, when the colony is at its largest-averaging around 1.5 million bats. Austinites have come to treasure and even celebrate this unique natural phenomenon, with a summer celebration called BatFest. Held during the last weekend of August each year, BatFest brings together all of Austin's favorite things-live music, food, people and (you guessed it) the Mexican Free-Tail bats. The family-friendly event features educational displays, arts and crafts, and a whole host of activities centering around the Congress Avenue bridge bats-plus more than 30 bands rocking the weekend away from two different stages.

Austinites love a good reason to party-it's a trait the city is well known for. In fact, BatFast falls just a few weeks before Austin's biggest music festival, Austin City Limits, which draws thousands of visitors a year and brings the country's hottest bands to Austin, Texas, for one sweltering weekend each September. But, unlike ACL or South by Southwest-Austin's other major music festival, which also doubles as a film festival-BatFest is first and foremost about promoting the protection and appreciation of one of Austin's natural wonders.

In a city with such strong environmental pride, and wonderful resources like Barton Springs Pool and Edwards Aquifer, it's no wonder this incredible phenomenon would capture the imaginations-and hearts-of so many.

Ki lives in Austin the coolest city in the world :). He helps clients interested in Austin real estate. If you are interested in the Austin market you can search for homes using the Austin MLS are read about market trends on his Austin real estate blog.

Austin's love affair with those delightful little bug-eaters is epic, and is celebrated every year with a bat-tastic festival held right on the Congress Street Bridge, while the honorees sleep below. Bat Fest, although relatively new, has become one of the River City's most noted and well-attended events.

Bat Fest is usually held in late August or early September, when the bat population is at its highest - the females have given birth and the pups are starting to venture out on their own. The bridge is closed to traffic, allowing for the 40,000+ attendees to walk among the tents and kiosks set up on the asphalt. Beginning late, at 2PM, the festival is meant to encourage people to enjoy the festivities during the day, and to enjoy the spectacular emergence of all those bats into the night air at dusk. The revelry continues on until midnight on Saturday, 10PM on Sunday.

On Sunday, early-bats can partake of the Bat Breakfast, when Austin's finest chefs whip up delectable breakfast treats. The savvy participants of this satellite event are treated to the flip side of the celebrated evening launch - they get to view the return of the bats after a night of foraging, to their roosts under the bridge.

Keeping with Austin's other main love, the festival mounts two stages, and bands play throughout the entire festival - up to thirty of the best the Live Music Capitol of the World has to offer can be seen in one weekend. Bob Schneider, Soulhat, Breedlove, and Grady have all appeared, along with many other big names in many different genres of music.

In addition to the Bat Breakfast, food vendors offer savory and sweet treats for sale all day and throughout the evening, and beverages of all kind are available as well. Over 100 of Austin's finest artisans and craftspeople present their wares, including pottery, jewelry, fine art, woodwork, stained glass, metal sculpture, mosaics, dicrylic, photography and much more.

The entrance fee for this exciting and unique event is a paltry $5.00, and the proceeds go to local charities including Bat Conservation International. BCI is already a regular presence on the "Bat Bridge" providing information and selling bat-centric souvenirs, as well as promoting their efforts to educate the public about bats, and to protect the bat population here and throughout the world. They amplify their offering for the festival, presenting educational displays and activities for all ages. The kids will find a wealth of fun in store, including carnival rides, games, interactive exhibits, face painting, and more.

With the beauty of Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) as a back drop, the Bat Fest is a great celebration of one of Austin's greatest treasures. Done in Austin's inimitable style, the music, crafts, food and fun make this an affordable, one-of-a-kind celebration, the likes of which you won't likely find anywhere else.

Ki is a realtor helping individuals looking for Austin real estate. His site provides information on his Austin real estate blog along with a search of the Austin MLS.