Dru Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Real live fire ants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Hey Off, There are some ant tree belays on lower cathedral and the lower brother areas. Funny how those ant covered trees smell sweet and acrid like raid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted August 24, 2004 Author Share Posted August 24, 2004 If they were an invasive foreign species like fire ants, I'd say go ahead and smoke 'em. But they are probably just a native species that has been here all the time, mostly unnoticed. Any naturalists out there who might have a clue about how common such large hills are and what species this might be?  I did a little research: These ants are in the group Formica Rufa. They are also known as Red Wood Ants and "Thatching Ants". They are aggressive and produce stinging bites due to their production (and use of ) formic acid. They are beneficial in that they prey on defoliating insects. Different species are found in different parts of the world. Super colonies with up to 20 km of interconnected mounds have been observed.  A couple of sites with pics of the mounds: http://www.wsl.ch/land/genetics/herbivores/ants.html  http://www.antnest.co.uk/Nests.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted August 24, 2004 Share Posted August 24, 2004 Hey Off, There are some ant tree belays on lower cathedral and the lower brother areas. Funny how those ant covered trees smell sweet and acrid like raid. I know that certain species of ants will "cultivate" aphids so they can harvest the sweet liquid called honey dew that the aphids produce. Â There is a genus of orchids called Schomburgkia which has hollow stems and is almost always colonized by ants which fiercely protect their host plant. Schomburgkia collectors have got to be masochists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobo Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 ...There is a genus of orchids called Schomburgkia which has hollow stems and is almost always colonized by ants which fiercely protect their host plant. Schomburgkia collectors have got to be masochists. Â ...or symbiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted August 25, 2004 Author Share Posted August 25, 2004 I know that certain species of ants will "cultivate" aphids so they can harvest the sweet liquid called honey dew that the aphids produce. Â Some species of Formica Rufa do that. They also attack and kidnap the larval stage of other ant species they then raise as slave laborers. Some of the larva they just eat. Â Also, another type of ant, the Dalmatie, chews and then forms it's food into patties which it then bakes in the sun. Â The largest ant in the world (Dorylus) lives in Africa and is 4 cm long. Â Â Okay, I'm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Szyjakowski Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 The problem which took place in Tacoma is due to the fact that ant hills exist underground. The fire finds its way into these ant hill tunnels and stays there. Even in major pacific northwest rainshowers some of these fires continue to smoulder only to spring up at an alternate location later on. Burning ant hills is a great way to cause a forest fire... Jason  Did you really think i was serious?  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucK Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Scott, You didn't answer the important question! Are they an invasive foreign species? That is, do we get to "smoke 'em!" Â We went on a "hike" in Discovery Park on Friday evening. Saw and marveled at a big ol' anthill, looks just like your picture, and wondered what they were. Come home, read cc.com, and there's a picture right there! Quite a coincidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted August 25, 2004 Author Share Posted August 25, 2004 Chuck, From what I could gather, there are native species in the Cascades, so, no, you don't gotta "smoke em". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_Martin Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Did you really think i was serious? Â Whether or not I thought you were serious doesn't matter. There are a lot of reactionary people on this website who take what they read to heart. The last thing we need is some dumbass who read something like that on a website, thought it was serious, and ends up burning down a portion of one of our forests... Â Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Szyjakowski Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 for real? Â DISCLAIMER: i am rarely serious on this site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Ants FAQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronB Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 WARNING: Some things in this FAQ may be true. But it's not very likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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