Something that has interested me for some time are the mound building ants on my land. This year we had alot of snow but as soon as the snow melts away on top of these mounds all it takes is a sunny day or two and the Western Thatching ants begin to slowly move about. This year it was early March when I saw the first mounds cleared of snow. I believe the heat from the composting twigs, needles and vegetation acts like a compost pile of sorts(my theory) and the heat produced helps to melt the snow faster than it would otherwise--(when I stuck my nose next to the mound it reminded me of fermenting silage in the silos of my dads farm) There are over 12,000 species of ants in the world and Formica Obscuripes builds these mounds as high as several feet. The raised mound also serves to catch the suns rays and further heat it up. These ants eat the seeds of the surrounding vegetation and carry bits of vegetation back to build the raised mounds.
6 comments:
We have thatch ants on our land, too. Late on a warm afternoon, lie down on the ground with the ant hill between you and the sun. Stir the top of the hill with a grass tuft or a twig. You will see dozens of tiny fountains of formic acid jetting in the air from their butts, backlit by the sun's rays.
Thanks for reading my blog--My boys and I will give that a try. Kirk
On a warm day, you can smell the formic acid they squirt!
We are supposed to get some warmer weather next week--we had light snow again this morning! I see from your web page that you are a beekeeper--one of my boys is interested in getting a hive--Do you have any experience with Top Bar hives? From what I have read it looks like something we could build ourselves.
oops--I read the last comment and deleted it by mistake--sorry Dave.
Post a Comment