I enjoy going to my mother's house near Klamath Falls. There are a multitude of lifeforms--deer, bluejays, butterflies, humingbirds, lizards, bees, wasps--and when I take a walk around her small community in Keno, down the gravel roads that wind around the back of her house, I see a number of domestic animals--horses, chickens, someone has a mule, dogs, and occasionally a cat. One time my mom said that a lady down the road even spotted a cougar one morning walking through the pines, stalking some children who were walking to the bus stop which was about a half mile down the main road. She pulled over and told the children to get in her car. I guess she called the wildlife people and they came, tranquilized the cougar, and relocated her.
Aside from enjoying the relative quiet of mom's home, broken only by the natural bird calls, barking dogs in the distance, a rooster a few houses down, and occasional cars grinding down the gravel path as they kick up a plume of dust that covers the road for a few moments, I really enjoy being away from the chaos of the Internet, the loud vocalizations of my neighbors in Springfield, and the obnoxious muscle-car engines roaring down my neighborhood streets. This is the time I hang out with mom as we down many glasses of wine, shots of whiskey, or bottles of Killian's beer--whatever we feel like at the time--and talk about the news, government conspiracies, my experiences in grad school, my daughter and boyfriend, and sometimes we go outside and observe the goings on of the day's outdoor activities--namely what all the animals are doing. She talks to me about the activities of the neighborhood deer, whether or not the bluebirds are using her bird house this season, and often, if we're lucky, we'll catch a glimpse of a squirrel running up a tree in her front yard.
This day though, Mom had to go to work. So while she was away, I decided to commence figuring out which of these many lifeforms I would record for my observation on life overlooked. I had started recording some deer that I had been waiting for all day. Alas, the pictures were blurry. But I did get some video of them!
...But these deer aren't "overlooked" as was the criteria of my Animals and Literature assignment. Maybe they are taken for granted, but people are always watching for these guys in this area so they don't hit them with their cars. No, these mule deer are considered by many a wonderful element of this neighborhood, and no one messes with them. In fact, the reason why they are so abundant here is because people feed them and they do fairly well in the winter because of it.
My attention, then, must be directed to someplace smaller, somewhere I normally pay no mind to.
These rocks by the tree with the bluebird house seemed to fit the bill. What could I find here?
My attention, then, must be directed to someplace smaller, somewhere I normally pay no mind to.
These rocks by the tree with the bluebird house seemed to fit the bill. What could I find here?
This is Pedro. He likes long walks over rough terrain, drinking the fresh dew from an aphid's ass, and volunteering in the local community.
I decided to interview him for a while about his life, his dreams, and his priorities....
...then I realized ants don't talk and that I was quite mad in trying to elicit a response from him. I was not perturbed though because I knew he did speak, just not my language.
Ants communicate by touching each other's antennae. (That would be like us ear bumping each other when we wanted to say hello or order a coffee. Imagine trying to communicate "skinny grande double mocha with whip cream" with our ears. Crazy.
Ants also use pheromones, different ones, to communicate different messages. We just use Axe Body Spray and really flowery perfumes because we can't smell like the ant can. The ant is a perfume factory apparently.
Ants communicate by touching each other's antennae. (That would be like us ear bumping each other when we wanted to say hello or order a coffee. Imagine trying to communicate "skinny grande double mocha with whip cream" with our ears. Crazy.
Ants also use pheromones, different ones, to communicate different messages. We just use Axe Body Spray and really flowery perfumes because we can't smell like the ant can. The ant is a perfume factory apparently.
So what kind of ant was this? He was alone, walking all alone, a diminutive man of the earth, much like Thoreau in the days of yore strolling along his treasured pond.
Or maybe he was more like Jesus...a carpenter...Pedro was a carpenter ant.
...and these guys like wood.
(This here is not Pedro...)
Or maybe he was more like Jesus...a carpenter...Pedro was a carpenter ant.
...and these guys like wood.
(This here is not Pedro...)
Here's Pedro again...pondering wood.
So, in looking up information about carpenter ants, much of what I find is in relation to carpenter ant "control" and "management" and much of what I have found refers to them as "pests."
Man, they just tryin' to BE, that's all!
So why are they considered the bane of some people's existence?
So, in looking up information about carpenter ants, much of what I find is in relation to carpenter ant "control" and "management" and much of what I have found refers to them as "pests."
Man, they just tryin' to BE, that's all!
So why are they considered the bane of some people's existence?
Well, they chew on wood. Not for food, but for nesting. If they are taking chunks out of your house, it's because there is a nest nearby and they need the wood for decorating their abode. Sometimes, according the the Carpenter Ant entry in Wikipedia, they hollow out trees for this wood. (Wikipedia seems to be a fair source to use for this information, as Wikipedia does not have a vendetta against Pedro and his kind). There are over 1,000 species of Camponotus ligniperdus, and it is the most abundant type of ant in the United States. Together, and within a few years, they can destroy wood structures, so it's no wonder they are hated as a species. Well, maybe we should stop using wood in our structures, huh?
So, why was Pedro out all on his lonesome?
"Carpenter ants have been known to construct extensive underground tunneling systems. These systems often lead to and end at some food source – often aphid colonies, where the ants extract and feed on honeydew. These tunneling systems also often exist in trees. The colonies typically include a central 'parent' colony surrounded and supplemented by smaller satellite colonies...
Carpenter ants are foragers that typically eat parts of other dead insects or substances derived from other insects. Common foods for them include insect parts, "honey dew" produced by aphids, or some secretions from plants"("Carpenter Ant").
Ah, he was most likely foraging, and his nest was most likely in one of the trees in the pictures. I don't know if he was looking for aphids, could have been, but Pedro looked like the kind of ant that was out for blood...He seemed pretty determined. Although, he meandered quite a bit as I was watching him--perhaps a little too much of the "dew," eh, Pedro?
So, why was Pedro out all on his lonesome?
"Carpenter ants have been known to construct extensive underground tunneling systems. These systems often lead to and end at some food source – often aphid colonies, where the ants extract and feed on honeydew. These tunneling systems also often exist in trees. The colonies typically include a central 'parent' colony surrounded and supplemented by smaller satellite colonies...
Carpenter ants are foragers that typically eat parts of other dead insects or substances derived from other insects. Common foods for them include insect parts, "honey dew" produced by aphids, or some secretions from plants"("Carpenter Ant").
Ah, he was most likely foraging, and his nest was most likely in one of the trees in the pictures. I don't know if he was looking for aphids, could have been, but Pedro looked like the kind of ant that was out for blood...He seemed pretty determined. Although, he meandered quite a bit as I was watching him--perhaps a little too much of the "dew," eh, Pedro?
When foragers, like Pedro here, look for food, I guess the most efficient way is to divide and conquer. When a forager finds food they, "communicate this information with the rest of the nest [using] biochemical pheromones to mark the shortest path that can be taken from the nest to the source. When a sizable number of workers follows this trail, the strength of the cue increases and a foraging trail is established. This ends when the food source is depleted. Foraging trails can either be underground or above ground" ("Carpenter Ant").
Maybe Pedro is really bad at his job. Or maybe he's the best.
Maybe Pedro is really bad at his job. Or maybe he's the best.
This is Marvel's Henry Pym, AKA "Antman". There are a few different ant mans, but this one's a doctor.
Speaking of doctors, Why are ants so healthy?
"In many social insect species, social behavior can increase the disease resistance of animals. This phenomenon, called social immunization exists in carpenter ants. It is mediated through the feeding of other individuals by regurgitation. The regurgitate can have antimicrobial activity, which would be spread amongst members of the colony" ("Carpenter Ant").
Maybe Henry Pym and Pedro make their friends healthy by hanging out and throwing up on each other. Sounds like a party to me.
So, if you were Antman, (or Pedro), what would your super ant power be?
How about autothysis, literally translated from Greek as "self-sacrifice"? Some carpenter ants have a really big mandible and can "release their contents suicidally by performing autothysis, thereby rupturing the ant's body and spraying a toxic substance from the head...[these] "exploding ants'" enlarged mandibular gland, which is many times the size of that of a normal ant, produces a glue [which] bursts out and entangles and immobilizes all nearby victims" ("Carpenter Ant," "Autothysis").
But don't worry. Neither Antman nor Pedro would ever resort to these measures. They are not from Southeast Asia.
How about autothysis, literally translated from Greek as "self-sacrifice"? Some carpenter ants have a really big mandible and can "release their contents suicidally by performing autothysis, thereby rupturing the ant's body and spraying a toxic substance from the head...[these] "exploding ants'" enlarged mandibular gland, which is many times the size of that of a normal ant, produces a glue [which] bursts out and entangles and immobilizes all nearby victims" ("Carpenter Ant," "Autothysis").
But don't worry. Neither Antman nor Pedro would ever resort to these measures. They are not from Southeast Asia.
So, what did I learn from my little buddy? Well, I learned that if you're a real badass, you'll forage on your own. I learned that wood makes for a nice, comfy home and that to be a true community hero, you'll need to emit an odor to tell your neighbors where the food is. I learned that throwing up on a friend is not a sign of disrespect. On the contrary, regurgitating in his mouth could in fact save his life. Finally, while it is not necessary in more peaceful societies, making your own head explode in order to defeat your enemy is a small price to pay for the perpetuity of your colony.
Works Cited
"Autothysis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014.
"Carpenter Ant." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 23 April 2014. Web. 2 May 2014.
"Autothysis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 2 May 2014.
"Carpenter Ant." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 23 April 2014. Web. 2 May 2014.