Rafts of fire ants have come to the surface and are floating around as colonies in the Houston floodwaters.
Fire ants normally live underground and when they detect something is off, they link together and form a ball with eggs, larvae and the queen in the center.
Extension program specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Wizzie Brown says they will stay afloat like this until they hit something dry.
“The unfortunate thing is they don't care what it is that's dry. So if it's a house that they hit and there are people on the roof stranded, they will go up there as well because that's them trying to escape the flood waters.”
For many Texas hurricane victims who are wading around in flood waters and find something to float on, the ants will board and bite.
Their stings are incredibly painful, and while it isn't fatal it isn't a nice time.
Experts say the best bet is to use soapy water to hit their rafts which breaks up the ants’ waxy covering and drowns them.