Driver ants - The most horrible social insect
Driver ants or Siafu (which is known as driver ants) is from the large genus of army ants that is primarily found in East and central Africa and also extends to tropical Asia and southern Africa. Each group can contain over 20 million species, among the workers, are the class of soldier that have large head and mandibles that are pincer-like
They prefer biting than stinging even though they are capable of stinging because they rely on their powerful shearing jaws.
When they become short of food supply, they leave wherever they are mostly the hill and march in great number about 50, 000, 000 ants that are considered a great threat to humans even though they can be avoided. They are classified as wanderers.
A large group can travel for an hour at 20 meters, these great ants also known as the army ants make temporary colonies for few days to few months until they are forced to move. Though their presence is favorable to certain human communities like the Maasai. They prevent pest farming in the Maasi communities and consuming most crop-pest the insect-large rats.
They are carnivores, they feed on the larvae of African sugarcane borer, their major food source is earthworms which they meet on their way.
They fiercely defend themselves from any attack, if one of the ant is hurt by any creature the whole colony attacks, with columns set from the smaller ones that are being flanked by the soldier ants.
These soldier ants assume positions as guard and set a line in between them that the smaller ants run through safely.do not mistakenly step on any of them or on their colony unless you want to be killed or swarmed by millions of driver ants, and that is going to be very dangerous and unforgetful
They are very aggressive and proud, never scared of any attack, their bite is very painful leaving two small hole of wounds when pulled out, removing driver ants is often difficult as they possess strong jaws which they use in holding whatever it is they hold unto.
A great number of ants can kill weak animals, small animals and eat the flesh. All members of this species are blind and communicate through pheromones.
Reproduction
The queen of driver-ants does not grow wings so also the winged drones, the drones are usually larger than the soldiers while the queens are the largest.
Driver ants do not mate in the air (Nuptial flight) like some other species of ants and bees, they mate on the ground and the queens go to make new colonies.
Just like most ants the soldiers and workers are females that do not reproduce (non-reproducing).
The sausage flies which are the male driver ant were originally known to be members of a different specie, they leave the colony soon after hatching but are drawn back to the Siafu once sexual maturity is reached by the scent trail left by the Siafu (reproducing females or queen).
Just as a man is drawn to his wife by her food or things that makes him attracted to his wife and leaves once she becomes pregnant, well it seems they do not like the pregnant ladies just like the male driver ants.
- When a male driver ant enters or moves close to a colony of driver ants they tear off its wings and carry it to a virgin queen to be mated with, shortly after mating the males die, but why? Well, can really seem to figure out why.
Well after the death of the male, the queen ant lays her first eggs and she is able to lay at least 1, 000, 000 eggs per month, well that’s a very large population in just a month.
Other facts about driver ants
Real driver-ant’s colonies have just one queen and once she dies the surviving workers try joining another colony, when two colonies meet they often change their marching directions to avoid problems.
They are used as natural emergency stitch up, when suffering from a long cut or wound in the bush their soldiers are use to stich wound by getting ant bite on both sides of the wound and removing its body. The importance of this driver ants as staples for surgries makes a seal that can stay for days at a time and allowing natural healing to start.
Some species raid on termites, killing or paralyzing few of them and carrying the remnant for a feast in their nest. The ant colonies are the biggest ant colonies in the world, a colony can be about 22 million moving on the floor all marching in a bid column. Very scary and irritating, trust me this would definitely give you goose bumps.
They can kill humans especially if the person you are weak or unable to move, they quickly swarm up you, causing you to suffocate and might lead to death. They are known as “Bling killing machine”. They cut through flesh on areas like the lips, nostrils and eyes, they release formic acid immediately they find your flesh, they move to internal organs leaving you in darkness and pain.
Movies like the famous Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal skull were although slightly exaggerated killed ate and killed two soviet soldiers within few minutes, they are described as “big damn ants” by Indiana Jones.
for the record that is the scariest movie have seen so far, very surprising how they consumed humans, i could not complete the movie.
When you are attacked by fire ants or other species of ants give yourself hope and worry less because you are not being attacked by driver ants except if you stay in east Africa, then get very scared.
The best thing about them is their being smart, I was thinking what if they transfer these characteristic to their prey? sounds crazy though.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorylus
http://www.viralnova.com/driver-ants/
http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/10/most-deadly-insects-in-the-world/african-driver-ant