Ants are to be admired, at least that is how I feel, because of their work ethic and survival instincts for the colony as a whole. They do not think as an individual trying to survive life, in fact their life is to live only for the future life of the species.

Recently, I have done some research on the Weaver Ant because of a show I watched on the National Geographic channel that peaked my interest; Dead by Dawn. The brutal and efficient way they lived as a unit was just amazing. It was almost hard to watch as they squirted a toxin onto their prey, holding the legs secure while it was cut apart (alive) and taken to the queen in pieces to feed the colony, all working together as one mind with one mission. Never stopping or faltering.

Weaver ants can be found in Australia and South East Asia, particularly Philippines. Weaver ant nests are usually found in forest trees, but can also be seen in any high up crevices, including roofs and telegraph poles.

I learned a fun and interesting fact this week about the weaver ant. They use tools. Not just any tool either, but their own larva.  I copied the quote from a page with great information on the Weaver Ant to be sure I conveyed the exact fact: “Another insect tool user is the weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), which makes nests by rolling up leaves and then gluing the sides together with silk. Although it is the adult ants that do this, only the larvae produce silk, so how is the process of leaf gluing achieved? In fact, the adults carry larvae in their jaws and squeeze them gently so that the larvae secrete a drop of silk on one end of the leaf edges. The ants then carry the larvae along the entire length of the leaf edges, squeezing as they go, using the larvae like living bottles of glue, until the edges of the leaves are stuck together from end to end.”  SIMPLY AMAZING.

If this cool stuff is an interest to you as it is I, then check out the links I provided within the article and have a look see, you will not be disappointed. Enjoy