Meat ants build a big nest, clear it of all vegetation and cover it in small pebbles, bits of stick, seed pods etc. Today I came on this nest and the ants were in a frenzy. Maybe they were preparing for the nuptial flight of the virgin queens.
When I was a kid in Kingaroy, we used to race onto a meat ants nest and scrabble our feet all over the nest and then race off again as all the ants came out and feverishly ran all over the nest.
Of course, that progressed to the dare which was to see how long you could stand on the nest with the ants racing all over your feet and up your legs. I always chickened out pretty quickly on that part.
@terryliv@mbemis yes they bite Mannie. We too played Poppo's game as kids. They are fearsome defenders of their nests and rush out on mass when anything disturbs the nest. I believe they have been found to be one enemy of the introduced cane toad. Those that nest around waterholes are eating the baby toads as they emerge from the water. Native frogs escape from them but as yet toads have not realized the need to flee when an anti starts to attack. Another trick as a kid was to put dead animals on a meat ant nest. They would consume the body and leave a beautiful skeleton for you to explore.
Of course, that progressed to the dare which was to see how long you could stand on the nest with the ants racing all over your feet and up your legs. I always chickened out pretty quickly on that part.