The cut ants can literally strip a mid sized tree naked of all leaves within a few hours. Constant vigilance is required to win the battle against them.
Another type of ant that has become part of our communal living arrangement are the army ants. The arrival of swarming army ants is something to behold. They arrive suddenly in large waves as they migrate through. To read more about the intriguing Burrell's ant and the habits, link to http://eol.org/pages/470832/details. The first time we saw the swarm approaching our home the experience was akin to a low budget horror movie. We were told that the best thing to do is leave the house for a couple of hours and let the colony pass through the house, leaving the house free of all other insects since they pretty much eat any other ant or insect in the path as they migrate.
A couple of weeks ago we visited a botanical garden in Sarchi and as we were exiting the park, my husband had the misfortune of having an ant land near his eye and sting him. The pain was intense and then the area below his eye became very red and swollen. We purchase some ointment from the pharmacy that helped alleviate the pain.
We have read about another species of ant called a bullet ant that has a sting potent enough to disable a person for a day.
Oh, yes, and then there are the tiny ants that tend to infiltrate and destroy electronic equipment such as laptops, printers, and speakers.
The ants are plentiful and challenging to live with, but we can learn a lot from them too. The ants are hard workers and epitomize teamwork. It is not uncommon to see a large dead insect being hauled across the road by a group of ants.
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