Friday, August 31, 2012

Crisis Management



Even though they can ruin a picnic if you sit too close to an ants nest, I have great admiration for these industrious little insects. Look what happens, for example, when you accidentally disturb their nest; the first thing they do is grab the next generation and carry them to safety, while a few guard ants hang around to fight off any attacker. It all looks like chaos to begin with, but this is insect evolution's answer to crisis management.


2 comments:

  1. I've seen them in action like this loads of times.
    Once while creating an opening in a very recently built garden wall, having used a stihl saw to cut two channels and having removed the brickwork i was amazed to find an ants nest inside the wall. It was a solid wall in very good condition so who knows how they got in there. True to form within 30 seconds the ants along with their eggs had vanished.
    RESPECT THE ANT !!!!

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  2. Hi John, I've sometimes lifted paving stones on our path and found this kind of activity - makes you feel guilty for disturbing them, doesn't it!?

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