After 18 months and a winter hibernation beneath our 10m high christmas tree, they moved to the rockery 10m away. They stayed there only 2 months before moving to a spot 30m away in the hedge at the near end of our lane. They lasted only 2 weeks there before excavating a new nest again 30m away at the bottom of the lane.
The interesting thing is that the first nest was entirely made from pine needles; the second from twigs and dried leaf scraps; the third from dried grasses and a burrow into an an old molehill; the fourth nest is entirely underground with several entrances! Each move involves the transportation of thousands of eggs, larvae and pupae from the old nest to the new one.
After all that work I thought they deserved a meal so I scattered some small pieces of bread and crumbs around the nest entrance. The crumbs were quickly carried down into the nest while the bigger pieces attracted a crowd of diners. They’re not being as greedy as you might think because ants have two stomachs - their own and a 'guest' stomach. They regurgitate food from this second stomach to feed the worker ants who don't leave the nest!
Fabulous image but I can't like ants too much. I wish the ones who started under our patio would relocate 30 meters away but they seem to be intent on relocating in my basement!
This is rather impressive as the whole narrative. On the other hand, as some local cousins of these guys are digging their nest in the roof insulation of my Sardinian house, I admit I am keen to consider them as a pest rather than a wonder…
September 10th, 2021
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Ian