On the south side there is more of an anthill. How to determine cardinal directions from an anthill

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libre19 January 2013 66647
In the forest there lies a large stone-boulder, overgrown with fluffy moss on one side. Look carefully at this unusual compass, which was created by nature itself. We have already written about various signs of orienteering, orienteering in the forest and using a compass. We recommend reading these interesting articles.

Education

After the young female queen mates with several males on her first flight, she lands on the ground and tears off her wings. The queen then digs a nest and lays eggs there. The first workers, who soon emerge, begin to build a mound over the hole dug by the queen. The growth of the heap accelerates with the arrival of new workers and over time can reach a meter in height.

Some species, such as the blood-red slave ant (Formica sanguinea), found in Europe and parts of Asia, do not build their own anthills at all, and their fertilized queens invade the nests of some smaller ant species and displace the old queen. The workers of the host species care for the offspring of the alien queen as if they were their own, and soon all the workers of the host species disappear and the nest is taken over by another species.

Blood Red Slave Ant

Winged

If you see an ant with wings, then this is a representative of one of two special and small ant classes.

The minority in ant society is the caste of male ants. Their life is short, and their fate is unenviable - after mating with a female, the “macho ants” die.

The second caste is oviparous females (“queens”). There are not many of them either. Depending on the species, each anthill is home to from one to several hundred “queens.” “Rulers” live a long time - with a successful combination of circumstances, each can reign for up to 20 years.

Question answer

Insect pests in the house: main types and methods of control. Infographics (09.20.2013)

Females and males are winged. During the only mating flight in her life, the queen may meet several partners. As a result of this peculiar orgy, she becomes a “machine” for the reproduction of ants for the rest of her life and will lay tens of thousands of fertilized eggs in the future. After mating, the female sheds her wings and is either accepted into an existing anthill, or she starts a new family.

Regular and supercolonies

Most often, ants are aggressive towards members of other colonies and form simple colonies. However, in some species, workers from different anthills mix. A group of colonies in which ants are not subject to mutual aggression is called a supercolony. Populations of supercolonies are not necessarily located in neighboring territories.

Anthills of red forest ants (Formica rufa) in the Czech Republic

The largest supercolony of associated ant colonies known before 2000 was discovered in the 1970s in Japan near Ishikari Bay on the island of Hokkaido. It is estimated that there are about 306 million worker ants and 1.1 million queen ants. One of its researchers, Professor Seigo Higashi, believes that the age of the colony could be up to 1000 years. A super colony of anthills is in danger of being destroyed due to construction work in the area.

Anthill in section

Ways to navigate the terrain without a compass

The ability to navigate among unfamiliar places is an important quality of a modern, competent tourist. This means, first of all, not to get lost in an unfamiliar place, to establish your location in time by the sides of the horizon and geographical objects, and to find out the direction of further movement.

It’s good when an experienced instructor takes a compass on a hike; this is not always the case in unprepared groups. If tourists find themselves in an unfamiliar area without a compass, there is no need to despair. There are many ways to navigate the terrain without this device and it’s worth getting to know them.

Kinds

The simplest anthills are a pile of earth, sand, leaves or clay, or a mixture of these and other materials, piled at the entrances to these underground dwellings during the construction of tunnels. The structure is erected and maintained by many worker ants, who carry small pieces of these materials in their mandibles and leave them near the exits.

Many species of ants build complex anthills, but others lead a nomadic lifestyle and do not erect permanent structures. Ants not only build underground colonies, they can build anthills on trees. Nests can be found underground, rocks, fallen logs, inside logs, inside hollow plant stems, and even in acorns.

Anthill on a tree

Nomadic ants from South America and wandering ants from Africa (genus Dorylus) do not make permanent anthills, but alternate nomadism with stages in which workers form a temporary anthill, creating a structure from their own bodies (holding onto each other) to protect the queen and larvae, which later unravel as they continue their journey.

Dorylus ants attack a locust (for some reason Wikipedia says it is a grasshopper)

Working individuals of tailor ants (also known as weaver ants, or ecophylla) build nests in trees by connecting leaves; workers first hold them down, serving as “bridges,” and then force the larvae to produce silk by moving them along the edge of the leaf. Similar construction methods have been observed in some Polyrhachis species.

Ants carefully choose a place to build a colony; Temnothorax albipennis avoids areas with dead ants, as this may indicate the presence of parasites or disease. They quickly leave already established colonies at the first sign of danger.

The main flood defense system used by ants is a mound of earth at the entrances to the anthill, and after a catastrophic flood, the ants repair the damaged parts of the anthill or, if this is not possible, open new tunnels to the outside.

Anthill Iridomyrmex purpureus in Australia

Guide to the shape of an anthill

Often the anthill is located in the south direction from a tree, stump, or bush, and this makes it easier to navigate. However, in treeless areas, it will also help determine the choice of the desired direction. It was already mentioned above that the dome of the ants’ home is asymmetrical.

South direction of the anthill

How to determine where north is: the slope facing this direction is steeper than the one facing south. This is due to the fact that a steep slope better protects the building from the effects of the cold north wind, while a gentle slope is warmed up more easily and quickly by the sun.

In any case, both in the forest and in open areas, a more accurate determination of the cardinal directions is ensured by examining not one, but several nearby anthills. You need to mentally draw a longitudinal line through the center of each dome and see in which direction they all go. This way you can more accurately determine the north-south direction, and, consequently, east-west.

Structure

1. The entrances are guarded by soldier ants. They recognize the inhabitants of their anthill by smell and do not allow “foreigners” into it.
2. The task of foraging ants is to obtain food. Along the way, they emit a smell and then return to the anthill (ants have very poor eyesight).
3. Young ants take care of the eggs. They constantly lick them and cover them with saliva to prevent them from becoming moldy.
4. The queen lays eggs all day long. Young ants bring her food.
5. Cleaner ants remove waste from the anthill.

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At night

How to navigate the forest at night? It is not recommended to actively move around at night. There is a high risk of injury or attack by wild animals. It’s better to wait out the night by the fire. However, if you need to get out of the forest after sunset, you can try to navigate by the stars.

We need to find the constellation Ursa Major in the night sky. It looks like a ladle. In Russia, this constellation can be seen in any season. Its two outermost stars (the handle of the bucket) face the Polar Star, which is part of Ursa Minor. This is a constellation of a similar shape, only smaller in size.

You need to mentally connect the “bucket handle” with the North Star with a straight line. This direction will point north.

On a clear night, you can try to find the Milky Way in the sky. This cluster of stars has the appearance of a strip. It runs strictly in the direction from north to south.

How to choose an ant repellent

The vast majority of ant preparations contain two substances: diazinon and chlorpyrifos.

Diazinon literally “hits the heart” of insects. It blocks the production of an enzyme responsible for the functioning of the nervous system of ants. They begin to have convulsions, leading to paralysis and death. In addition, it is actively absorbed by the root system of plants and protects them from pests for 2-3 weeks.

Chlorpyrifos enters the body of insects through the respiratory system and paralyzes the nervous system. The chemical is retained in the soil for 110-120 days, and it remains effective against pests for about 1-2 months.

Below we provide a brief table of the main drugs used to kill garden ants.

When treating an area against ants, it is better to use eye and respiratory protection.

How is moss useful?

Like other living organisms, mosses are important in the general cycle of substances. They provide food to many animals and microorganisms and change their habitat during their lives. For example, by covering the soil with a dense carpet, they can lead to waterlogging. Unpretentious mosses are among the first to settle in places where it is difficult for other plants to live (for example, in the tundra). As mosses die and decompose, they enrich the soil with humus. Many frogs lay their eggs in moss, and birds' nests are lined with moss.

Man has long used sphagnum moss. It grows at the top, the rest of the stem dies. But since the plant contains phenol, which kills bacteria, it almost does not rot. Gradually accumulating and compacting at the bottom of swamps, moss forms a common fuel and chemical raw material - peat.

Another property of sphagnum is its ability to absorb huge amounts of moisture. Therefore, dry moss is used as bedding for livestock, and during the war it sometimes replaced bandages.

In addition, many mosses are very decorative; their bright green pads decorate aquariums, greenhouses, garden compositions, etc. In the ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto, there is the Saihoji Monastery, where the Moss Garden has been created for a century. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Instead of lawn grass and flowers, the ground here is covered with mosses. There are 130 species of them here. They decorate miniature ponds, and moss mats surround stones and trees.

In general, mosses easily absorb not only moisture from the air, but also many chemicals. This makes it possible to detect air pollution using these plants. By the way, the destruction of the natural environment threatens many mosses with extinction. The Red Book of Russia includes 60 species of mosses.

Treatment

The healing properties of ants have been known for a long time. From time immemorial, people have made tinctures and ointments from them. These insects are still used today. The main active ingredient in such preparations is formic acid.

Acid-based drugs help in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatic and atrophic, neuroses, dizziness in old age. They can also alleviate the condition of patients with hepatitis.

Preparations with a hemostatic effect are prepared from ants. Their venom also contains antibiotics that can fight fungal and bacterial infections, including staphylococci and streptococci.

Before you destroy these little workers on your plots, evaluate the benefits they bring.

Repelling with odors

This is the safest method not only for people, but also for animals that may live in the house. As for odors that are unpleasant for insects, the following options can be noted:

1. Fresh lemon juice is one of the most pungent repellent odors. It needs to be applied to places where ants accumulate and the paths along which they move.
2. The second most effective herbs are wormwood, parsley, lavender, mint. It is better to take fresh plants, but you can also use dried ones. They need to be crushed and placed in areas of activity.
3. No less effective are essential oils, which can repel not only ants and other insects, but also create a pleasant aroma in the room.

Black ants

Another inhabitant of the forests is the large black ant. The large rotten spruce stumps are constantly in full swing, and insect heads appear every now and then in the round holes in the bark. These are the famous black ants. They are also called wood borers.

The big black ant is always busy with work. Construction inside tree stumps never stops. Numerous galleries are constantly expanding. An interesting fact is that representatives of the same family are very different from each other. Construction ants are small in size, but soldiers are quite large - some individuals reach two centimeters. However, not only the external description of the ant is different, but also its behavior. Working individuals fuss at work, they are energetic and fast. The soldiers are slow and sedate, their movements are completely leisurely.

Ways to enter the apartment

The ant colony is very organized. That is why, before the entire colony moves to permanent residence in the apartment, first several ants will set off to explore the new territory. Most often, the colony moves along the following routes:

• cracks in doors and windows;
• ventilation system;
• basement;
• pipes;
• holes in the walls.

These insects are so smart and small that they can penetrate almost any apartment.

Proven methods

Traditional methods that people have long used to fight ants can be no less effective than modern chemical insecticides, plus they are the safest

Why folk remedies are better than chemistry

Before you get rid of small red ants in your apartment, you need to understand the type of means that will be used for these purposes. There is a large list of certain products or plants that do not harm humans, but at the same time are deadly for ants and other insects.

Boric acid will not cause harm to humans, but at the same time it is deadly for insects. For example, an ordinary chamomile can scare them away. Naturally, among the advantages of this type of means, it is first of all worth noting safety, accessibility, ease of use and effectiveness. In some cases, folk remedies and even ordinary chamomile are much more effective than modern remedies.

Soda

There is soda in almost every house. It is used not only for baking or for cleaning certain surfaces, but also for fighting pests, such as ants. This is due to the fact that the body of insects contains acid, which enters into a chemical reaction upon contact with soda.

As a result, insects die very quickly. Naturally, not a single ant will voluntarily eat soda, even if it is not in powder, but dissolved in water. That is why it will be necessary to mix sugar, water and soda in equal parts. This solution should be applied to those places where insects were most noticed.

Ammonia

Ammonia is intolerable to ants. Naturally, it does not kill them, but it can act as an effective repeller. You just need to dilute it with water at the rate of 100 ml of alcohol per 1000 ml of water.

The resulting solution needs to be treated in all places where these insects were noticed. Despite the fact that ammonia has a pungent odor, after 15 minutes it will disappear and will not be noticeable to the human sense of smell, but insects will remain for a very long time create it and be afraid.

With this solution you need to wipe as many pieces of furniture as possible, including cabinets, shelves, chairs, etc. If after a couple of days they appear again, then you should wipe all the places again.

Salt

This food product is also in every home, and it copes with its task no less effectively than soda. Salt is especially relevant in cases where there are animals or small children in the house and the use of chemicals or poisons is not possible.

For the solution it is necessary to use water and salt in equal parts. All places where insects accumulate must be thoroughly treated.

The maximum effectiveness of salt is achieved when working together with hot pepper. They also need to be mixed in equal proportions and sprinkled on all the paths along which insects run.

Soap

Anyone wondering how to get rid of red ants in an apartment can finally try a simple remedy - soap. Soap is available in any apartment, and you can use not only the liquid version, but also the solid form.

It is enough just to make a soap solution and use a sprayer to treat all the places where insects accumulate. In addition to the fact that such a solution will make the house cleaner, it will not only repel pests, but will also erase traces of pheromones that may attract other insects.

It makes no difference what kind of soap is used, and to enhance the effect you can add a couple of drops of essential oils. The best option is coniferous scents - spruce or pine. With a hard bar of soap you can simply rub the areas where pests are active. Grated soap is also suitable for these purposes.

Boric acid

There are several recipe options where boric acid is used as an active substance:

1. In a clean bowl you need to mix 4 tbsp. spoons of honey (if there is no honey, you can use sugar syrup), 1 tbsp. a spoonful of yeast and 1 portion of boric acid. All ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and the paste applied wherever insects were noticed.
2. For 1 tbsp. spoon of water, add 2 teaspoons of glycerin, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey and 1.5 tbsp. spoons caxapa. You need to add 1/3 teaspoon of boric acid to the mixture. All ingredients must be mixed thoroughly. Using medical gloves, you need to roll small balls and place the bait in those places where the largest accumulation of them was noticed.
3. Mix a little water with 5 grams of boric acid, 1 tbsp. spoon of jam and caxapa. All ingredients need to be mixed and the resulting mixture poured into special containers, for example, into the caps of plastic bottles. Baits should be placed in all places with large concentrations of insects.
4. For 0.5 teaspoon of boric acid, you need to take one egg yolk. Again it is necessary to roll small balls and lay out the bait. It is worth considering that boric acid can be sold in pharmacies not only in powder form, but also in liquid form.

It is worth noting that boric acid can also be mixed with almost any other products that ants may like. Among the most famous homemade delicacies, ants prefer bread, minced meat, boiled potatoes, and sweets.

Bypa

This substance is somewhat similar to boric acid, at least in its effect on insects. It has been actively used for quite a long time as a folk remedy for making baits.

To make bait, you need to take equal amounts of sugar sand and borax, then add a little water. All ingredients must be mixed thoroughly until you get a homogeneous paste. This mixture should be applied to cardboards and located in places where pests accumulate.

The idea is quite simple, the ants drag this bait into the nest, and after some time the entire colony becomes infected and gradually dies out along with the queen.

Hot pepper

Red or black pepper is suitable not only as a spice for many dishes, but also as a repellent to “uninvited guests.” To kill insects, a sufficiently large concentration of these spices is required, and with small volumes, pepper effectively repels them.

You can use ground pepper or fresh/dried pepper pods. They should be placed in their habitats and on the paths along which they move.

Egg shell

Not everyone knows that before getting rid of ants in the house using folk remedies, you can use a large number of improvised means, including eggshells. It should not be washed or even crushed. It is enough to spread such a product in places of accumulation.

Yeast

Not everyone knows that yeast can be used not only in baking, but also to fight ants. They die due to gas formation during a chemical reaction.

Yeast must be added to sweet “treats”, jam, sugar, syrup or honey. All this must be mixed with water at room temperature and treated with the resulting solution in all places where insects accumulate.

If you use dry yeast, then you need to treat the insect nest.

Millet

Millet has a rather interesting effect on ants. This is a well-known method that is actively used among gardeners and gardeners.

It is not known exactly how millet acts on insects so that they disappear from their habitual habitats.

This method can be used at home, but at the same time, you must remember that the millet must be completely dry.

Insecticides

If home methods turn out to be not so effective, you can use more modern means that will help you quickly deal with not only ants, but also other unwanted body insects.