Tawny crazy ants have invaded the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The ants originally come from South America, but in 2002, tawny crazy ants appeared in Texas. Now, the ants have been seen in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. According to Joe MacGown, a research scientist at the Mississippi Entomological Museum, the ants are "within four miles of Alabama right now."

Extermination chemicals have failed to get rid of the animals.

Luckily, tawny crazy ants do not bite or sting. The ants do, however, reproduce quickly and enjoy living in tight spaces such as beneath floorboards, in car engines and surrounding electrical equipment. The ants have even invaded NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston but have not caused any notable damage.

"We are principally concerned about the possible damage to infrastructure such as electronics, employees' automobiles and our facilities," NASA Houston Facilities Management and Operations Chief Shelia Powell told Reuters.

Experts are still trying to determine how much farther the tawny crazy ants will travel and how to get rid of them. It is difficult to know because little is known about the ants' physiology.

"You almost have to see it to believe what a nuisance these can become," Robert Puckett, an associate research scientist at Texas A&M University, said. "I've been in people's houses where they show me trash bags full of ants they've swept up."

Texas A&M is working to learn more about the pesky bugs. They are receiving funding from the state that is typically used to study fire ants.

"You can spray and it will kill tens of thousands, but they come back," Joe Stuckey, a Houston environmental attorney, said. "If you took a restaurant-sized pepper jug and poured it on the floor, that's how thick they are."

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