Drones fight ‘crazy’ acid-spitting ants decimating wildlife in Australia

Though tiny, a species of ants aptly called “yellow crazy ants” pose a big threat to Australia’s environment and wildlife as these pesky pests have already killed 30 million crabs. So the country has diffused a novel technology along with drones to stop them.

Yellow crazy ants spit acid, according to ABC News, enabling them to prey on vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, and nestling birds, The Wet Tropics Management Authority explains, an environmental protection agency that has taken action to save the environment from their toxicity.

The West Tropics encompasses the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on Earth, so yellow crazy ants must be stopped because larger animals will even flee the area as these ants crawl over everything, threatening homeostasis. Though these little armies are tough to beat, drones and DNA analysis have given humans a one-up on the impressively difficult-to-defeat species of ants, finally.

Send in the drones—quick

Teams of humans head into nature on the hunt for the yellow crazy ants, but they need the support of technology to actually address the problem. As per ABC News, Australia is getting smarter in locating and treating the infestations.

First to detect the species, James Cook University researcher Peter Yeeles explained that they’ve been employing a trailing technique in the early stages of development called Environmental DNA analysis.

“We’re not really sure what invertebrates like ants actually shed, but we know that they do shed DNA,” he said to ABC News.

Taking samples from the environment as the “the DNA can run off the surface of the ground when it rains into waterways,” he continued, a laboratory can then analyze it and identify if these ant supervillains are present in the area.

Once confirmed, “we got them,” the West tropics Management Authority sends in helicopters and drones to wipe them out. Team leader Gareth Humphrey’s told ABC News that they can “actually zoom in and target those small little areas” rather than spreading large amounts of bait across a space that they might not occupy.

Crazy yellow ants cost Australia $6 million a year

Having infiltrated Australia by unknown means over 80 years ago on Christmas Island, yellow crazy ants have given Australia a real run for its money. It costs over six dollars million a year to tackle the opponent. And still, they haven’t been able to make a significant headway in trying to stop them.

A resident told ABC News that yellow crazy ants even invaded her home. They headed straight for the wires and took out her electricity. As they spray formic acid, they can even harm household pets. They also stand to damage sugar yields and the tourism industry itself.

So, though small, these crazy ants intend to take over, and no one is safe. A large threat, in fact, Australia is investing $24.8 million to stop them from taking over all of Queensland. But local governments have carried a heavy cost load themselves: about $180,000 a year, locally.

And the situation looked surprisingly bleak as if these crazy yellow ants are like mini-tanks. Man’s new best friend: technology, actually, has finally given humans the ability to identify where they are and attack — back. “We’re gradually getting on top of the yellow crazy ants,” a spokesperson said via ABC News .

“We’ve got a really good chance of eradication.”