There are few conditions like drought and heat to bring the activity of ants to the fore. We have both in abundance. I happened to sit on the steps outside our kitchen for a few minutes the other day and captured these images with my cell phone. My attention was first drawn to this gap in the wall:
The fine grains of sand spilling out of it is detritus from the mining activities of the ants as they have burrowed deeper into the ground behind the stones that make up the edge of the steps leading up to the top of the terrace. A spider has taken advantage of this gap to catch unsuspecting passersby. Where there is ant activity, there must be ants. I didn’t have far to look:
Here some of them are, walking up and down the leaves of this succulent plant growing right next to the steps. All of them were busy – too busy to stop and look around; to chat to their fellow workers; or simply to take a rest. All were focused on whatever job they had to do. Now among these ants are some construction workers, some of which must have tunnelled holes between the stone risers and built these towers:
I cannot help wondering if these are ‘cooling towers’ such as we see at some of our (dysfunctional) power stations on the Highveld.
I think ants, like many other social insects, are fascinating – their ability to delegate different tasks among the workers, the way in which they control the climate inside their nests, their war strategies, some of them even farm with fungus or aphids or caterpillars. We’re so vain to think we are the most intelligent species. “Go to the ant…” reads Proverbs 6.
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This is true, Dries. We could learn a lot from ants, not only about social responsibility and common sense, but also about productivity.
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Hear, hear! I so agree and also, enjoyed being momentarily spirited away from my human activity, to get a sneak peek at the activity of these busy little ants in your garden – today 😊
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Yay!
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I can just imagine their Ant cities!
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That is an interesting thought.
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A vast underground network!
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That is true. Unfortunately, they are all over the house too looking for sustenance and moisture in the drought. Not that this helps them much as we have not had a drop of water in our taps for over a day now.
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They move so quickly going about their business. You captured this activity very well!
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Thank you, Belinda. It helps to sit still for a while now and then 🙂
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I love this! It’s a huge, wide and deep world that we live in, with so many fascinating events, even civilizations, happening all around us. Thank you, Anne!
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I am pleased you find it so.
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I am now wondering as well. Might be for cooling?
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Either that or to prevent water from entering the nest entrance. I doubt it is the latter as only very light rain has fallen and that only every now and then.
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I think might be, preventing running water from entering the place.
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Ants are truly the busy kind, with no time for anything other than their work! Nice observations, Anne.
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I am pleased that you enjoyed them too 🙂
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