They're nicknamed "Rasberry," for the man who discovered them in Texas 12 years ago --- not because dealing with them is sweet, in any way.

Now, the residents of Houston are on track to find what it's like to meet Rasberry crazy ants face-to-antenna, as it were, when billions of the insects are expected to march their way into the Lone Star State's "Space City" within weeks.

Considered even more dangerous than Texas' longtime resident fire ants, the Rasberry crazy ants, also known as tawny crazy ants or Nylanderia fulva, have hit more than 20 counties, spreading colonies significantly farther and wider than typical insect colonies, according to a study published last year.

Out in the wild, Rasberry crazy ants hang out under rocks and trees or amid blades of grass. They apparently like the warmth and moisture found in coastal communities.

Unlike other ant types, Rasberry ants don't build their own nests, but seem to prefer invading the homes of others. And when those others are human, heaven help the homes in question.

"I've been in houses where every time you took a step you'd literally be stepping on thousands of ants with each step," Rasberry told FoxNews.com. "They've gotten into electronic systems in chemical plants and shorted-out equipment that forced the plants to shut down entire units."

Raspberry said the army of Rasberry crazy ants migrating across the Southern United States presents a particular danger to residents in Texas, as well as Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, where the ants have been seen on many more than a few occasions.

Rasberry crazy ants are not attracted to typical ant baits, cannot be controlled by over-the-counter pesticides, and have proved harder to fully exterminate because their colonies have multiple queens.

Insect specialists from of Texas A&M's Agricultural Life program suggest an immediate, albeit temporary, solution for those who suspect their homes have been or are in the process of being overrun by Rasberry crazy ants is to remove materials known to attract the ants, such as the mulch in potted plants, or even piles of stored wood.

Entomologists believe that the tawny crazy ants immigrated to the United States from South America in the 1930s, likely on board a cargo ship.