Ant Lions

[Chickie]

Learned something new this weekend. Have had ants coming in as I usually do each spring and a friend came and sprayed around my foundation for me. (Usually use Terro when they make their way inside, but preventing them from entering might be a better option.) My friend said there were a lot of ant lion tunnels along the foundation, which was a good thing to see. I had never heard of ant lions. Learned they are also known as Doodle Bugs. They build their little sand traps and when ants fall prey, they grab and suck the life out of them. The ant lions are actually the lava stage and when they become adults, they grow wings and look similar to a dragonfly. What an interesting and beneficial little creature!

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by Chickie

Learned something new this weekend. Have had ants coming in as I usually do each spring and a friend came and sprayed around my foundation for me. (Usually use Terro when they make their way inside, but preventing them from entering might be a better option.) My friend said there were a lot of ant lion tunnels along the foundation, which was a good thing to see. I had never heard of ant lions. Learned they are also known as Doodle Bugs. They build their little sand traps and when ants fall prey, they grab and suck the life out of them. The ant lions are actually the lava stage and when they become adults, they grow wings and look similar to a dragonfly. What an interesting and beneficial little creature!

Ant lions are really cool. If you have any sandy soil aroun your foundation you'll see these crater looking holes. They are ingenious death traps!
I used to stun an ant and drop him into one of the funnels. The ant attempts to crawl out but never can make the incline as the sand below rolls out from under him. The ant lion waits at the bottom of the funnel with jaws open. Eventually the ant tires and rolls to the bottom where the lion closes down and drags him under the sand. They have lasted in a world where 99% of the species that walked this planet are extinct...they are doing something right!

[Chickie]

Thanks PaugusBayFireFighter. Now that I know what to look for and if it ever stops raining, I will be going Lion Hunting. Here is a website I found which has videos of the funnels being constructed and an actual capture by those ferocious beasties.

http://www.antlionpit.com/antlions.html

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by PaugusBayFireFighter

I used to stun an ant and drop him into one of the funnels.

How does one stun an ant?! Do you use the same method perfected by Monty Python to stun a parrot?

[Chickie]

Bonk them on the head with a matchstick, I reckonl