Houston ant attack

Ant invasion! New species that loves electronics joins fire ants in overrunning Houston

In drought-weary Houston, recent rainstorms have been a welcome sight. But with that watery relief has come the resurgence of a familiar Texas foe — ants. Even with the cooler fall weather, fresh mounds dot every available grassy patch, turning a pleasant autumn stroll into a creepy nightmare with one wrong step.

CultureMap turned to Rice University evolutionary biologist and ant expert Scott Solomon to find out why these tiny pests appear to be multiplying.

"Though it may seem like they're everywhere, there aren't necessarily more ants," he assures. "We're just seeing a lot more of them because of the rain and the lower temperatures."

"Though it may seem like there everywhere, there aren't necessarily more ants. "

Everyone's favorite Gulf Coast pest, the red fire ant, has been busy at work after Houston's Halloween storms. Solomon says that, because their larvae require specific moisture level to thrive, fire ants constantly adjust and relocate nests based on the dampness of the soil. As ground-dwellers, these ants really only have two options: build a mound after a soaking rain or dig deeper during a drought.

But Solomon notes another factor at play in the area's ant boom . . . another species.

The "tawny crazy ant" — or "Rasberry ant" a name derived from Tom Rasberry, the Pearland exterminator who first found them in Houston in 2002 — resembles its fire ant cousin, but with a slightly lighter rust color and a truly bizarre manner of walking (hence the crazy part). Both species hail from central South America.

"Tawny ants build temporary nests in existing cavities. In a forest, they might pick a hollow in a tree. But in an urban environment, they tend to look in and around buildings."

Though they don't sting, tawny ants do have a bizarre and annoying penchant for electronics, overrunning and shorting out everything from fuse boxes to laptop computers.

As far as combating Houston's dueling ant species goes, Solomon reminds CultureMap that he's not in the business of killing the invasive species, just studying them. However, he did note that the complete absence of ants in a certain area only attracts new colonies.

For more on Lone Star ants, see the extensive guide offered by Texas A&M's Center of Urban and Structural Entomology, which comes complete with possible management techniques.

After recent rainstorms, Houston is in the throes of a veritable ant invasion.

Photo by Joe MacGown Mississippi Entomological Museum

After recent rainstorms, Houston is in the throes of a veritable ant invasion.

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income analysis

This is the salary needed for a single-income family in Texas in 2026

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

The income needed for a single-income household to raise a child in Texas is lower than it was last year.

With childrearing costs in the Lone Star State adding up to tens of thousands of dollars per year, many Texas families are navigating a difficult decision: should both parents work or should one parent stay home to raise the child?

For Texas families that choose the latter, the working parent needs to make nearly $73,000 per year to support their child and the stay-at-home parent, a new income analysis has revealed.

The newly released SmartAsset report used MIT's Living Wage Calculator to estimate the annual living wages needed across all 50 states for a three-person household with two working adults and one child, and a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. Costs included food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes, and "other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent needs to make $72,925 to support their stay-at-home counterpart and their child, the study found. That's $1,809 less than what was needed in 2025.

Meanwhile, the combined income needed for a household with one child and both parents working full-time is $85,030.

Texas ranked No. 42 in SmartAsset's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working parent, one stay-at-home parent, and one child. That also situates Texas as the 9th most affordable state for single-income families. But there are risks associated with only having one breadwinner in the family.

"A single income family with small children potentially saves in child care costs over a household with two working parents," the report's author wrote. "The main disadvantages are the lost salary and retirement contributions, Social Security earnings history and employer health benefits."

There aren't any specific tax benefits to having a parent stay at home to raise their child full time, but SmartAsset says single-income families can claim a tax credit under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"[S]ingle-income families may claim the Child Tax Credit — up to $2,200 per qualifying child for 2026 ($1,700 refundable) — on the same terms as any other family," the report said.

SmartAsset's latest report only looks at costs on a statewide basis, but the cost to raise a child will also vary greatly depending on the city you live in. Raising a child in Houston might pose a challenge for some families, where the cost for childcare alone adds up to $10,265 and overall costs can surpass $22,000.

For households with two children, there might be additional strains on what a family might consider a "comfortable living." A March 2026 SmartAsset study determined a Houston-based family with two working parents need to make a combined income of $204,672 to have a financially stable life while raising two children.

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income needed for single-income families are:

Arkansas ($68,869)
Mississippi ($70,054)
Kentucky ($70,179)
West Virginia ($70,283)
North Dakota ($71,219)
Oklahoma ($71,365)
Louisiana ($71,406)
Missouri ($72,862)
Texas ($72,925)
Tennessee ($72,946)

smartasset reports texas family income