Wanderer

I’ve searched closely, and I can find no new tunnels today. It seems the ants either are taking a long break, or have given up tunneling. There are a couple of unfinished tunnels, that is, tunnels that were started a few days ago, but lead to know where. They don’t join with other tunnels. They just end in the middle of the gel, unlike all their other constructions which either end at the intersection of another tunnel, at the surface, at the bottom of the habitat, or at either side of it. I had a theory that when ants start a tunnel, they don’t stop until it is finished, until it reaches some logical destination. Yet, for two days now, there has been no digging. They spend most of the day at the bottom of the habitat in their sanctuary of safety. I don’t know if they are sick, or just bored.

While I wait for them to get back to work, I do a little research of my own. I’m curious about their ability to sting, like wasps and bees. I find out that ants belong to the order Hymenoptera, from the Greek word for membrane, referring to the membranous wings found in this order of insects which include wasps and bees, and the family Formicidae, which comes from the Latin word for ant, formica. What we call poison in the sting of the Fire Ant or the red ant or any ant that bites/stings is the formic acid, a vinegar-like chemical that burns when it is sprayed or injected into our skin. I happened to watch a documentary on tv last night and a slow-motion close-up of one ant attacking a human hand clearly showed the ant biting his skin, and injecting the venom from a stinger in its abdomen into his skin. The narrator said that ants spray their enemies with the toxin from a distance of centimeters, and others inject it directly. Some bite the victim, then spray the acidic chemical into the wound. However it gets there, the result is the same: a fiery, burning sensation. Even the tiniest of ants can get our attention with their little drops of formic acid. Rule of thumb when walking in the grass: where shoes!