Latest news with #UniversityOfTexas
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
These 'crazy' invasive Florida pests attack mammals, birds and create giant supercolonies
Move over Burmese pythons and iguanas. This Florida invasive species numbers in the millions, asphyxiates its prey and creates huge supercolonies that are nearly impossible to eradicate. Meet tawny crazy ants. They get their name from their erratic movements, especially while foraging, and are native to South America but spread to the southern U.S. in the late 1990s. According to the USDA, tawny crazy ants in Florida are part of a super colony that spreads across the southern U.S. They lack territorial behavior, which enables the creation of gigantic supercolonies, whose need for resources drives out local wildlife and brings them into direct conflict with humans. They can invade homes where they are drawn to and damage electrical equipment, and can make yards uncomfortable for residents to enjoy. In areas of the country with severe tawny crazy ant infestations, they kill or displace local wildlife, including other ant species, even fire ants. 'There's no insect noise and there's no bird noise,' University of Texas ecologist Edward LeBrun told Science. According to Texas A&M University's Urban and Structural Entomology Program, after experiencing the tawny crazy ant, most residents prefer the fire ant. Tawny crazy ants bite and excrete formic acid Tawny crazy ants bite and excrete formic acid, which they use like venom. What do tawny crazy ants in Florida eat? According to the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), tawny crazy ants prey on live animals, and scavenge from dead animals. They eat caterpillars, beetles, termites, wasps and spiders, or even small animals such as rabbits, birds, lizards, and domestic animals, which usually die due to asphyxia. Tawny crazy ants are capable of forcing birds from their nests and blinding young rabbits with their acid, Smithsonian Magazine reported. They can attack crops, domestic animals and honeybee hives, and take over the nesting sites of other ant species, including fire ants. Where in Florida are tawny crazy ants found? See map According to IFAS, by 2012, tawny crazy ants were found in 24 counties in Florida listed below, with infestations spreading. This can be expected in any county in Florida, IFAS reported. Alachua Brevard Broward Clay Collier DeSoto Duval Hardee Hillsborough Indian River Lee Manatee Marion Martin Miami-Dade Orange Palm Beach Pasco Pinellas Polk Saint Johns Saint Lucie Sarasota What do tawny crazy ants look like? The Urban and Structural Entomology Program at Texas A&M University describes tawny crazy ants as follows: Coloration: Adult colony members, including queens, males and workers, are reddish-brown (although lightness or darkness of their body color may vary) Size: Worker ants are all similar in size (they are monomorphic), with a body length of 1/8 inch. Worker ants have long legs and antennae and their bodies have numerous, long, coarse hairs. The antenna have 12-segments with no club. There is a small circle of hairs (acidopore) present at tip of the abdomen (as opposed to the typical stinger found in many ants), a characteristic of formicine ants (found within the Formicinae subfamily). How to get rid of tawny crazy ants around your home Management of this ant will most likely require the services of a professional pest control company that practices integrated pest management (IPM). According to UF, 100% eradication of this ant is not probable in areas where it is established. However, population suppression is possible. Tawny crazy ant prevention Schedule regular trash pick-up. Keep trash cans clean and stored away from the home. Remove leaf litter, fallen branches, and other yard debris. Keep hedges and trees trimmed so that they do not touch the home. Eliminate or reduce possible food, water, and nesting sources. Remove trash regularly and keep trash receptacles clean. Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink. Clean up spills immediately. Place food items in the refrigerator or in sealed containers. Pick up pet food bowls when your pet is not eating. Exclusion To prevent ants from entering a home: Walk around the outside of the home and locate potential entry points (cracks, crevices, spaces around windows and doors). Locate indoor entry points, paying particular attention to windows, doors, and plumbing and utility penetrations. Use an appropriate sealant. Replace door thresholds and weather stripping as needed. If you can see light from the outside while you are standing inside, it is enough of a gap for ants and other pests to enter. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fire ant vs tawny ants: invasive species in Florida. Map, how to kill
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Texas leads nation in flood deaths due to geography, size and population
Even before the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, the state was by far the leader in U.S. flood deaths due partly to geography that can funnel rainwater into deadly deluges, according to a study spanning decades. From 1959 to 2019, 1,069 people died in Texas in flooding, which is nearly one-fifth of the total 5,724 flood fatalities in the Lower 48 states in that time, according to a 2021 study in the journal Water. That's about 370 more than the next closest state, Louisiana. Flooding is the second leading weather cause of death in the country, after heat, both in 2024 and the last 30 years, averaging 145 deaths a year in the last decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other floods have turned deadly this year: Last month in San Antonio, 13 people died including 11 people who drove into water thinking they could get through, according to study author Hatim Sharif, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies why people die in floods. For several years Sharif has urged state and local officials to integrate better emergency action programs to use flood forecasts and save lives by alerting people and closing off vulnerable intersections where roads and water meet. 'I think in Kerr County, if they had an integrated warning system that uses rainfall forecasts to forecast real-time impacts on the ground, that could have saved many lives and could have also helped emergency crews to know which location would be flooded, which roads would be impassable,' Sharif said. 'They could have taken action.' The role of geography and terrain Texas has so many deaths because of its geography, population and size, experts say. The area where the most recent deadly floods struck is known as flash flood alley because of hills and valleys. 'Steep, hilly terrain produces rapid runoff and quick stream rises, since the water will travel downhill at greater speed into rivers and over land,' said Kate Abshire, lead of NOAA's flash flood services. 'Rocky terrain can exacerbate the development of flash floods and raging waters, since rocks and clay soils do not allow as much water to infiltrate the ground.' 'Urban areas are especially prone to flash floods due to the large amounts of concrete and asphalt surfaces that do not allow water to penetrate into the soil easily,' she said. Along with those hills, 'you've got the Gulf of Mexico right there, the largest body of hot water in the entire North Atlantic most of the time,' said Jeff Masters a former government meteorologist who co-founded Weather Underground and now is at Yale Climate Connections. 'So you've got a ready source of moisture for creating floods.' Preventable driving deaths Historically, many of the deaths were preventable across the nation and in Texas alike, according to experts. Masters said nothing illustrates that better than one statistic in Sharif's study: 86% of flood deaths since 1959 were people driving or walking into floodwaters. Nearly 58% of the deaths were people in cars and trucks. It's a problem especially in Texas because of hills and low lying areas that have more than 3,000 places where roads cross streams and waterways without bridges or culverts, Sharif said. 'People in Texas, they like trucks and SUVs, especially trucks,' Sharif said. 'They think trucks are tough, and that is I think a factor. So sometimes they use their big car or SUV or truck, and they say they can beat the flood on the street ... especially at night. They underestimate the depth and velocity of water.' Abshire said that not only do people ignore the weather service's safety mantra, 'Turn around, don't drown,' but studies found that a number of these fatalities occur when people actively drive around barricades and barriers blocking flooded roads. The latest Texas Hill Country flooding was less typical because so many of the deaths were in a camp where the water overtook the victims, not people going into the water, Sharif said. Only about 8% of flood deaths in the last 60 years happened in permanent homes, mobile homes or camping, according to the study. The July 4th floods happened at night, a common time for flood deaths. More than half of deaths since 1959 have occurred at night, when it's dark and people can't see how much flooding there is or are not awake for the warnings, Sharif's study found. As far as demographics, about 62% of U.S. flood deaths were male, according to the study. 'Risk-taking behavior is usually associated with men,' Sharif said, adding that it's why most fatal victims of car crashes are male. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
12-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Texas leads nation in flood deaths due to geography, size and population
Even before the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, the state was by far the leader in U.S. flood deaths due partly to geography that can funnel rainwater into deadly deluges, according to a study spanning decades. From 1959 to 2019, 1,069 people died in Texas in flooding, which is nearly one-fifth of the total 5,724 flood fatalities in the Lower 48 states in that time, according to a 2021 study in the journal Water. That's about 370 more than the next closest state, Louisiana. Flooding is the second leading weather cause of death in the country, after heat, both in 2024 and the last 30 years, averaging 145 deaths a year in the last decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other floods have turned deadly this year: Last month in San Antonio, 13 people died including 11 people who drove into water thinking they could get through, according to study author Hatim Sharif, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies why people die in floods. For several years Sharif has urged state and local officials to integrate better emergency action programs to use flood forecasts and save lives by alerting people and closing off vulnerable intersections where roads and water meet. 'I think in Kerr County, if they had an integrated warning system that uses rainfall forecasts to forecast real-time impacts on the ground, that could have saved many lives and could have also helped emergency crews to know which location would be flooded, which roads would be impassable,' Sharif said. 'They could have taken action.' The role of geography and terrain Texas has so many deaths because of its geography, population and size, experts say. The area where the most recent deadly floods struck is known as flash flood alley because of hills and valleys. 'Steep, hilly terrain produces rapid runoff and quick stream rises, since the water will travel downhill at greater speed into rivers and over land,' said Kate Abshire, lead of NOAA's flash flood services. 'Rocky terrain can exacerbate the development of flash floods and raging waters, since rocks and clay soils do not allow as much water to infiltrate the ground.' 'Urban areas are especially prone to flash floods due to the large amounts of concrete and asphalt surfaces that do not allow water to penetrate into the soil easily,' she said. Along with those hills, 'you've got the Gulf of Mexico right there, the largest body of hot water in the entire North Atlantic most of the time,' said Jeff Masters a former government meteorologist who co-founded Weather Underground and now is at Yale Climate Connections. 'So you've got a ready source of moisture for creating floods.' Preventable driving deaths Historically, many of the deaths were preventable across the nation and in Texas alike, according to experts. Masters said nothing illustrates that better than one statistic in Sharif's study: 86% of flood deaths since 1959 were people driving or walking into floodwaters. Nearly 58% of the deaths were people in cars and trucks. It's a problem especially in Texas because of hills and low lying areas that have more than 3,000 places where roads cross streams and waterways without bridges or culverts, Sharif said. ' People in Texas, they like trucks and SUVs, especially trucks,' Sharif said. 'They think trucks are tough, and that is I think a factor. So sometimes they use their big car or SUV or truck, and they say they can beat the flood on the street ... especially at night. They underestimate the depth and velocity of water.' Abshire said that not only do people ignore the weather service's safety mantra, 'Turn around, don't drown,' but studies found that a number of these fatalities occur when people actively drive around barricades and barriers blocking flooded roads. The latest Texas Hill Country flooding was less typical because so many of the deaths were in a camp where the water overtook the victims, not people going into the water, Sharif said. Only about 8% of flood deaths in the last 60 years happened in permanent homes, mobile homes or camping, according to the study. The July 4th floods happened at night, a common time for flood deaths. More than half of deaths since 1959 have occurred at night, when it's dark and people can't see how much flooding there is or are not awake for the warnings, Sharif's study found. As far as demographics, about 62% of U.S. flood deaths were male, according to the study. 'Risk-taking behavior is usually associated with men,' Sharif said, adding that it's why most fatal victims of car crashes are male. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
Texas leads nation in flood deaths due to geography, size and population
Even before the Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, the state was by far the leader in U.S. flood deaths due partly to geography that can funnel rainwater into deadly deluges, according to a study spanning decades. From 1959 to 2019, 1,069 people died in Texas in flooding, which is nearly one-fifth of the total 5,724 flood fatalities in the Lower 48 states in that time, according to a 2021 study in the journal Water. That's about 370 more than the next closest state, Louisiana. Flooding is the second leading weather cause of death in the country, after heat, both in 2024 and the last 30 years, averaging 145 deaths a year in the last decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other floods have turned deadly this year: Last month in San Antonio, 13 people died including 11 people who drove into water thinking they could get through, according to study author Hatim Sharif, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio who studies why people die in floods. For several years Sharif has urged state and local officials to integrate better emergency action programs to use flood forecasts and save lives by alerting people and closing off vulnerable intersections where roads and water meet. 'I think in Kerr County, if they had an integrated warning system that uses rainfall forecasts to forecast real-time impacts on the ground, that could have saved many lives and could have also helped emergency crews to know which location would be flooded, which roads would be impassable,' Sharif said. 'They could have taken action.' The role of geography and terrain Texas has so many deaths because of its geography, population and size, experts say. The area where the most recent deadly floods struck is known as flash flood alley because of hills and valleys. 'Steep, hilly terrain produces rapid runoff and quick stream rises, since the water will travel downhill at greater speed into rivers and over land,' said Kate Abshire, lead of NOAA's flash flood services. 'Rocky terrain can exacerbate the development of flash floods and raging waters, since rocks and clay soils do not allow as much water to infiltrate the ground.' 'Urban areas are especially prone to flash floods due to the large amounts of concrete and asphalt surfaces that do not allow water to penetrate into the soil easily,' she said. Along with those hills, 'you've got the Gulf of Mexico right there, the largest body of hot water in the entire North Atlantic most of the time,' said Jeff Masters a former government meteorologist who co-founded Weather Underground and now is at Yale Climate Connections. 'So you've got a ready source of moisture for creating floods.' Preventable driving deaths Historically, many of the deaths were preventable across the nation and in Texas alike, according to experts. Masters said nothing illustrates that better than one statistic in Sharif's study: 86% of flood deaths since 1959 were people driving or walking into floodwaters. Nearly 58% of the deaths were people in cars and trucks. It's a problem especially in Texas because of hills and low lying areas that have more than 3,000 places where roads cross streams and waterways without bridges or culverts, Sharif said. 'People in Texas, they like trucks and SUVs, especially trucks,' Sharif said. 'They think trucks are tough, and that is I think a factor. So sometimes they use their big car or SUV or truck, and they say they can beat the flood on the street ... especially at night. They underestimate the depth and velocity of water.' Abshire said that not only do people ignore the weather service's safety mantra, 'Turn around, don't drown,' but studies found that a number of these fatalities occur when people actively drive around barricades and barriers blocking flooded roads. The latest Texas Hill Country flooding was less typical because so many of the deaths were in a camp where the water overtook the victims, not people going into the water, Sharif said. Only about 8% of flood deaths in the last 60 years happened in permanent homes, mobile homes or camping, according to the study. The July 4th floods happened at night, a common time for flood deaths. More than half of deaths since 1959 have occurred at night, when it's dark and people can't see how much flooding there is or are not awake for the warnings, Sharif's study found. As far as demographics, about 62% of U.S. flood deaths were male, according to the study. 'Risk-taking behavior is usually associated with men,' Sharif said, adding that it's why most fatal victims of car crashes are male. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Gizmodo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Gizmodo
Hot Tick Summer Is Here. Here's What You Need to Know and How to Stay Safe
Summer in the U.S. is now in full swing. That means plenty of outdoor fun, Sun, and, unfortunately, for many of us, tiny eight-legged ticks to avoid. Ticks and the many illnesses they carry, like Lyme disease, are a growing public health threat. Just this week, for instance, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 2025 so far has seen the highest number of tick-related emergency room visits recorded since 2019. And though the worst tick species are especially common in the Northeast, disease-carrying populations are steadily spreading further across the U.S. What's more, scientists are still continuing to discover new viruses and bacteria spread by ticks that can potentially sicken people. With Americans firmly in the middle of hot tick summer, Gizmodo reached out to Dennis Bente, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. We spoke to Bente about why ticks are becoming a bigger problem, the best ways right now to protect ourselves against them, and the potential innovations that could eventually help us beat back the tick menace. The following conversation has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity. Ed Cara, Gizmodo: I live in the northeastern U.S., and my friends and family, especially dog owners, often complain about needing to look out for ticks sooner than they used to. Is the tick season really getting longer and larger? And what seem to be the major reasons why? Maps Show North America's Growing Tick Invasion Bente: Yes, your friends and family are absolutely correct in their observations. The tick season in the Northeastern United States has indeed become longer and more intense, with multiple scientific studies confirming both the expansion of tick activity periods and the growth of tick populations. What was once a relatively predictable seasonal threat has evolved into a year-round concern in many areas. The evidence shows that ticks are now active in winter due to climate change, with adult deer ticks active at temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit [-10 degrees Celsius]. This has led to a year-round need for vigilance, as ticks now emerge whenever the ground is unfrozen and temperatures exceed freezing, extending their season beyond traditional months. Climate warming accelerates tick development, increases survival, and enables northward expansion at about 28 miles [45 kilometers] per year, especially in the Northeast. Factors like recovering deer populations, reforestation, landscape fragmentation, and fire suppression have also promoted tick populations by providing ideal habitats and microclimate regimes that favor tick survival. Gizmodo: When it comes to tick germs, people are probably most familiar with Lyme disease. But there are plenty more out there. What are some of the lesser-known tickborne diseases that keep you up at night? And are these diseases, like Lyme, becoming more common? A New York Man Was Killed by a Rare Brain-Infecting Disease Spread by Ticks Bente: While Lyme disease dominates public awareness of tickborne illnesses, it represents just the tip of a much larger iceberg. Powassan virus (POWV) stands out as perhaps the most frightening tickborne pathogen in North America. This flavivirus can cause severe encephalitis with mortality rates approaching 18.8% and devastating neurological consequences in 72.7% of survivors. Unlike other tickborne diseases, POWV can be transmitted within just 15 minutes of tick attachment, giving victims almost no opportunity for preventive tick removal. There are also other less-known viruses. The Heartland virus emerged in 2009 and has since been documented in over 60 cases across 14 states, with an estimated mortality rate of 5-10%. Bourbon virus (BRBV) was first identified in 2014 and remains poorly understood. Only 5 human cases have been reported in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, but blood tests suggest that it is much more widespread. Borrelia miyamotoi causes hard tick relapsing fever, a disease that often goes undetected despite being transmitted by the same ticks that carry Lyme disease. Between 2013 and 2019, 300 cases were identified through surveillance in just nine states that conduct active monitoring. This likely represents massive underreporting, as the disease is often misdiagnosed. There is also Ehrlichia and the spotted fever group rickettsiae, which represent a growing and increasingly complex threat. While Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii) remains the most severe, newly recognized rickettsial pathogens are emerging that can cause similar severe illness. Overall, tickborne diseases are absolutely becoming more common. The evidence is overwhelming: Total tickborne disease cases in the US increased 25% from 40,795 (2011) to 50,856 (2019). Gizmodo: Are there any treatments, vaccines, or other innovations in development that could possibly help us beat these germs? Bente: Yes, there are indeed promising treatments, vaccines, and innovative technologies in development that could help us finally gain the upper hand against tickborne diseases. Here's what's on the horizon: The most significant immediate breakthrough is VLA15, the first Lyme disease vaccine to reach advanced clinical trials in over two decades. Developed jointly by Pfizer and Valneva, this represents a major advancement over previous failed attempts. The vaccine has completed recruitment for its Phase 3 VALOR trial with 9,437 participants enrolled across the United States, Europe, and Canada. Results are expected by the end of 2025, with potential regulatory approval in 2026. Experimental Anti-Tick Vaccine Aims to Stop Bites That Could Spread Lyme Perhaps even more exciting than pathogen-specific vaccines are anti-tick vaccines that could prevent multiple tickborne diseases simultaneously by targeting the tick itself. Researchers have developed mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccines containing cocktails of tick salivary proteins. The most advanced formulation is the 19ISP vaccine. This vaccine causes rapid erythema development in the skin, early tick detachment, and decreased tick feeding by creating an immune response that alerts hosts to tick presence and prevents pathogen transmission when ticks are removed promptly. TP-05 is an investigational oral, systemic formulation of lotilaner developed by Tarsus Pharmaceuticals; it represents a revolutionary approach to tickborne disease prevention. This isoxazoline compound has successfully completed Phase 2a human trials, demonstrating 97% tick mortality within 24 hours of attachment, with a single dose providing protection for at least 30 days. Since ticks typically require 36 to 48 hours of attachment to transmit Lyme disease, killing them within 24 hours provides highly effective prophylaxis with an excellent safety profile in healthy volunteers. Gizmodo: In the meantime, how do we best keep these tiny pests from ruining our time outdoors? Bente: For reliable tick protection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends EPA-registered repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE). Research consistently shows that DEET concentrations of 20 to 30% provide the most effective protection, with efficacy rates of 85 to 89% against ticks. Permethrin, readily available in stores, stands out as perhaps the most powerful weapon in your anti-tick arsenal. Unlike repellents that simply deter ticks, permethrin actually kills ticks on contact. When applied to clothing, it can provide protection for up to six weeks or six washes. The effectiveness is remarkable: permethrin-treated clothing has shown nearly 100% protection against tick attachment. A Kidney Transplant Came With an Unwelcome Hitchhiker: A Deadly Tick Germ Your clothing choices can serve as your first line of defense. Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to spot. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and closed-toe shoes provide physical barriers, and tucking your shirt into pants and pants into socks creates additional protection by eliminating entry points. Stay on trail centers and avoid wooded, brushy areas during peak tick season (April to September). Daily tick checks are the most critical prevention measure. Most tickborne diseases require 24 to 48 hours of attachment for transmission, so quick removal dramatically reduces infection risk. Check your entire body using mirrors, focusing on warm areas: groin, armpits, scalp, behind ears and knees, and waistbands. Check children and pets daily, even after yard time, and shower within 2 hours to wash off crawling ticks. For proper removal, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick close to the skin. Pull upward with steady pressure—don't twist or jerk. Don't squeeze, crush, or burn the tick. Clean the bite area and hands with alcohol or soap. Be sure to photograph the tick for identification if symptoms develop and avoid folk remedies like matches or nail polish—these increase disease transmission risk.
