Ant swarm pics

[Texas Blonde]

Ok, so I dont know what the hell these ants were doing, or what species they are. But I got some cool pictures. They were swarming all over the parking lot of the diesel shop where I work. There were thousands upon thousands. The pictures dont even begin to show the amount, because as many as there were on the ground, there were equal numbers in the air. It was bad ass, even for someone who has major issues with ants like myself. I will admit, it took considerable amounts of liquid courage for me to get as close as I did, lol.

 

[funnylori]

That's a lot of ants! I can't believe you didn't get bit/stung.

 

[Texas Blonde]

More

 

[Texas Blonde]

This little dude was in heaven. It was fun to watch him dart around the edge of the swarm. He stayed pretty far from the main action.

 

[Texas Blonde]

I was pretty drunk at this point. Only way I would have ever done something like this. Im scared to death of ants.

 

[funnylori]

Sweet photos Sky! Love your ring too! You sure you didn't get stung?

 

[Texas Blonde]

Two more close ups of the ants themselves. Ill post more close ups tomorrow after I finish cropping them.

 

[myrmecophile]

Neat, Pogonomymrex harvester ants, most likely P. barbatus. Such breeding aggregations are not uncommon with these ants.

 

[reverendsterlin]

sex is in the air. soon 100's if not 1000's of new colonies will be starting. Here in New Mexico harvester ants are doing the same thing, though I have not seen any swarms of that size, ours are Pogonomyrmex rugosus. Great pictures.
Rev

 

[Talkenlate04]

Scared of ants? May I ask why?

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

Ant orgy!!!!

awesome pics, thanks for sharing

 

[Texas Blonde]

Sweet photos Sky! Love your ring too! You sure you didn't get stung?

Haha, I really never got stung. Though I did actually get chased away from the entrace to the colony by one angry soldier. It was pretty cute, but the pics didnt come out.

My ring is made to look like a motorcycle tire, lol. Im such a dork. www.tirerings.com



@Talkenlate04 - I have issues with ants. I dont like them and they dont like me. They really seem to like my pants, especially when Im crouched down at a T burrow. Ive had to strip more than a few times because of it, lol. And on the T.I.T.T.I.E.S. trip I had one sting me on the foot so many times it hurt to walk for the rest of the day. :wall:

 

[Talkenlate04]

I hear ya.
I have only one bad memory of ants, but it still lingers. I was maybe 6 and for some reason I was outside our house in AZ watching the sun go down. I was leaning on a tree. Guess I picked the wrong tree because there was a nest at the bottom with a zillion fire ants. Before I knew what was going on I was covered with them, and they all seemed to start bitting and stinging at the same time. :wall:
I looked like I had chicken pocks by the time I got them all off me.

 

[Texas Blonde]

I hear ya.
I have only one bad memory of ants, but it still lingers. I was maybe 6 and for some reason I was outside our house in AZ watching the sun go down. I was leaning on a tree. Guess I picked the wrong tree because there was a nest at the bottom with a zillion fire ants. Before I knew what was going on I was covered with them, and they all seemed to start bitting and stinging at the same time. :wall:
I looked like I had chicken pocks by the time I got them all off me.

Oh ugg! I hate fire ants. We dont really get them much around here, because its too dry, but they do live inside Midland, in peoples yards where there is alot of moisture. When I was living at my aunts house, they were all over the place, because she waters all the paddocks and grassy areas of her farm. I was taking a shower one day and didnt notice that the ants had gotten into this sugar body scrub I use until I had already spread it all over both my legs. I noticed when they all started to bite. Not fun.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Oh I take that back two bad memories.
I got sent to one of those boot camp type places over the summer (bad kid)
And I found this giant mound of pine needles with ants. (forget the type)
This was in Yellowstone.
Well I had seen smaller nests but this one was huge and I wanted to see if there were eggs inside (duh there were but I was 12)
Well another kid saw me flip off the top of the nest and told on me.
The counselors (if you can call them that) made me come back to the nest and do push ups in the nest. Every time I went down I had to say one word,
I
Am
SORRY
ANTS!

Ten damn times. Those things bite so hard you pull them and their heads stay attached to you! Needless you say I did not mess with anymore wildlife on that trip.

 

[brunoboy]

GREAT pictures!

 

[Texas Blonde]

Ill admit, Im about as nice to ants as they are to me. I can never resisnt messing with them. Usually I will take small pebbles that are just barely too big for the ants to move easily, and drop them in the entrance of the colony. I know its not going to cause any real damage, but will still be a pain in the ass. I love to see them get all pissed off as long as I am able to move away quickly.

 

[brunoboy]

I love watching ants too----fascinating little buggers. It would have been very cool to see the hornytoad eating up the anties.

 

[Talkenlate04]

If humans could work together the way ants do we would be far more advanced then we are now.

 

[brunoboy]

I've thought so too------but in a kind of scary sort of way. Workers, fighters, breeders, nursery care workers and of course, a queen. slaves, slaves, LOTS of willing pre-programmed slaves.