The title of this blog is "Under Attack"......well not really. These little critters all live in my yard. My girlfriends laugh when I tell them about all the types of ants that live out there.......so I decided to document it. LOL
What lurks deep inside these craters.........Ant Lions....these little guys dig and dig and sculpt these craters then spew up bits of sand when some hapless creature comes to near. It's really amazing to watch.......you know I have lots of time on my hands these days.
Next we have the nasty little Fire Ants.....they have a very painful sting which can be relieved immediately by placing an ice cube on the sting or rubbing Clorax bleach on the area.....sounds strange but it works....trust me!
Now here are the big boys....the Red Ants. They carry off all my leaves and take them into their lair. The ants don't eat the leaves......oh no, they chew them up and form a type of fungus that fertilizes a food source for the little critters.
Ah the wee Sugar Ants......I really don't know why they're called Sugar Ants......they are non-threatening, not bothering anything or anyone....they do love to nest in my garden....go figure.
And finally, the Cow Ant named for it's rather larger size. They have very hard outer bodies and are not easy to.......ah.......well.....how to put this.........KILL!.........LOL......If you were wondering where all this wealth of info is coming from..........remember, I was a science teacher for 20 years....all that knowledge is still rambling around in my head and needs to come out so that I'll have more room for quilting and embroidery stuff!
What lurks deep inside these craters.........Ant Lions....these little guys dig and dig and sculpt these craters then spew up bits of sand when some hapless creature comes to near. It's really amazing to watch.......you know I have lots of time on my hands these days.
Next we have the nasty little Fire Ants.....they have a very painful sting which can be relieved immediately by placing an ice cube on the sting or rubbing Clorax bleach on the area.....sounds strange but it works....trust me!
Now here are the big boys....the Red Ants. They carry off all my leaves and take them into their lair. The ants don't eat the leaves......oh no, they chew them up and form a type of fungus that fertilizes a food source for the little critters.
Ah the wee Sugar Ants......I really don't know why they're called Sugar Ants......they are non-threatening, not bothering anything or anyone....they do love to nest in my garden....go figure.
And finally, the Cow Ant named for it's rather larger size. They have very hard outer bodies and are not easy to.......ah.......well.....how to put this.........KILL!.........LOL......If you were wondering where all this wealth of info is coming from..........remember, I was a science teacher for 20 years....all that knowledge is still rambling around in my head and needs to come out so that I'll have more room for quilting and embroidery stuff!
7 comments:
I love to watch insects, they are so interesting. I dug up one of the Ant Lions to see what they look like, we had them in KC, MO, they are a very unattractive insect. Kinda creepy looking. Thanks for sharing. :-)
Yikes! I am glad that I don't have to deal with any of those! :) Stay safe in your yard!
A science teacher, glad you shared that...I did not catch it. Your ants are very interesting....but I still do not like the creatures. Our property is home to billions and billions of them and they enjoy visiting inside off and on; where I kill them without any guilt.LOL.
I've always called those bugs you call Any Lions "Doodlebugs". Never heard of Ant Lions
Great Science Lesson----
We're plagued with fire ants too! Never knew of the clorax solution for stings---thanks for the tip. Found a spider in a bucket we'd left outside undisturbed for a while. Put it in a jar for closer inspection. On it's back it was carrying what looked like hundreds of teeny tiny baby ants.....amazing!
....oops! I meant to say "spiders!"
I used to hold leaves over ants walking along to their hills when I was little because I felt so bad for them being out in the hot sun. As I got older tho, I learned that ants can be a real pain when they move in with you to stay. Now I may decide for a while that they're not so bad thanks to your post. Well not so bad till next spring when they move in again that is.... :)
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