LEWISBURG -- With all that rain in Texas, victims of Hurricane Harvey also have other problems to worry about.
No, this is not a fallen tree, it's a colony of fire ants. Tens of thousands of them, according to Biology Professor Greg Pask at Bucknell University in Lewisburg. He says the ants are in "raft mode". When a flood hits, they group together with the queen in the middle.
"And then they're just so covered in these waxy, oily compounds that they just float to the top of the water surface,"Professor Greg Pask said.
Professor Pask says the fire ants feel threatened by people. With the water rescues in Texas, watching out for fire ants is not the first thing on someone's mind.
"When one fire ant stings it releases an alarm that triggers the other ones to attack as well. When they're in raft mode they're actually more aggressive," Pask said.
Professor Pask says the fire ants normally live underground and by going into raft mode they're just trying to survive like everyone else.
"This is prevention from dying out during a flood," Pask said.
It's not only fire ants causing problems. There are a lot of snakes and alligators in Texas.
"I daresay when it's all over there will be no fatalities from alligators or venomous snakes," Clyde Peeling said.
Clyde Peeling of Clyde Peeling's Reptiland tells Newswatch 16 people are finding them on their doorsteps and in their yards.
"Generally they're more frightened of us and they want to get away whenever possible," Peeling said.
Both Peeling and Pask recommend leaving all of these animals alone to avoid problems.