Distracted by Ants, II
Posted on August 28, 2007
Filed Under Worldview |
Tracking ants isn’t always easy.
It was a breeze following them along the power cord and the garden hose. But that 
rapidly changed when the ants heading west exited the hose into our “natural” backyard and the ones heading east hopped off of the cord at the trailer onto our rock driveway and then headed for the woods. I chose the east end first and after about 30 feet of meticulous tracking to the northeast, I was delighted to see that they had found another hose. (This was the grey water trailer hose which I had laid out to dry several weeks before and obviously hadn’t put away yet). Now they were back on a super-highway, moving as fast as their little legs could go. I followed them easily as the hose snaked back and forth and then, with dismay, watched them hop off just before it made a final curve to the north.
Now things got really difficult.
We were in a coarse terrain of pine needles, wild flowers, sticks and other natural under-growth which can swallow up a tiny ant and make it disappear from sight. Calling up my latent ant-tracking skills from boyhood years, I would bend down and patiently wait for my eyes to detect some movement. Sure enough, ten to fifteen seconds later, my ant would reappear on top of a branch or in a rare open spot. I would take several quick steps forward, bend down and wait again. (I think it was at this point, you remember, that my wife was watching and called out the obvious question—“What in the world are you doing?”). You have to understand, though, this was exciting stuff. The ant would disappear and only the patience of Job and the keen eyes of a hawk could pick the little critter up again. So when I did, there was a rush of accomplishment and the sense that I was one step closer to the answer to the riddle.
But then something very curious struck me. They were now headed due south. If you look at my map, you will realize, as I did, that they had rejected the shortest distance through the rocks and woods for the faster route over the garden hose. I think I stood up, put my hands on my hips and with a big smile said: “Cool!” Somehow, they knew that a hose was faster than rocks and heavy under-growth, even if it took them well out of their way.
How did they figure that out?
Well, as you can see from the map, this trail ended up going over the edge of the canyon and down into some very heavy brush, trees and under-growth. I lost them. I 
know it is disheartening to admit, but it is true. I tried again the next day, but all I found was a chipmunk (our overnight guest?) at the bottom of the canyon, and I couldn’t get a word out of him. (Can you spot him?)
So, I backtracked to the other end. This was much easier. We have the under-growth cleared out of our “backyard” and it was mostly just navigating pine cones and needles. After hopping off the garden hose, the ants headed in a northwest direction toward the fire pit where I have positioned three large logs. We use them for seats as we make smores and enjoy fireside conversations with friends and students. However, I now discovered that it was one of those logs that my west-bound ants had their sights set on. They climbed up the end, crawled along the top in single file, then split off and disappeared into three separate little holes, one near each end of the log and one in the middle. The trail came to an abrupt end.
But, my discovery didn’t.
As I stood there, peering into one of those little holes, I was suddenly surprised by an ant who popped his head out and spit a mouthful of wood over the side of the log. He was followed by another wood-spitting ant and then another. Each ant, after chucking the wood, quickly disappeared back down the hole. It wasn’t long, however, that some ants from the east showed up and they, too, headed down the holes. I watched in 
fascination as this tiny, perfectly round opening came alive with ants popping in and out. It was a one-way hole, though, so collisions were common. But, as best I could tell, the spitting ants had the right of way over the ants from the east, who would sometimes start down the hole only to come backing out quickly and let their brother (or sister) emerge with a chuck of wood to chuck.
Every once in a while, an ant would pop out of the hole with no wood in his mouth and then head down the log. He was about to become one of my “ants from the west” that I had been tracking earlier. He now made his way down the end of the log, through the pine needles, onto the garden hose, the electrical cord, the rocks, the other hose, and then over the pine cones and through the woods to…grand mother’s house for all I knew. That was way down in the canyon, and I never found that end of the trail.
Well, in my brief online research, I have identified these little creatures as carpenter ants. They don’t eat wood, they just carve it out to make a nest (or a log home). That’s what all the spitting was about. Anyway, the literature states that they can travel up to 100 yards for their food and water. That explains what the east and west ants were doing, although I couldn’t really see anything in their mouths on the return. Maybe they just went to the restaurant, dined, and returned with a full belly and took up wood-spitting for the rest of the day until they got hungry again. I don’t know for sure. However, the distance from the log to the bog was well over 100 yards. Maybe I have some kind of record-setting ants here. I did find out that “worker” ants can’t eat solid food. They either tank up on liquids, which they take home and regurgitate for others, or they bring solid food home and feed it to the larvae, who turn it into liquid and then regurgitate it for the ants to eat. Doesn’t this blow your mind? Who wrote up the contract between the ants and the larvae? And, by the way, that raises the age old question: which came first, the larvae or the ant?
Additionally, it is highly possibly that somewhere down around grandma’s house, the ants are tending a herd of aphids. Why? Because carpenter ants ingest the honeydew that aphids produce. Aphids are happy to let them do this because the ants protect them from predators. What a deal! I wonder if they employed a lawyer to work that arrangement out? Symbiotic relationships among complex systems like this always fascinate me. It should cause one who believes in the power of random forces to pause, I would think.
By the way, the literature even states that carpenter ants will physically move the aphids around to better locations if they need to. So my ants are not only carpenters and navigators, but shepherds as well.
There is one more interesting observation, for which I cannot find an explanation. Maybe some of you can offer some insight. At the bottom of the log, below each hole, there was a growing pile of wood pulp as the result of the continual chucking from the 
wood-spitting ants above. In each of those piles were several ants (photo at left) who were picking up a mouthful of wood and carrying it out a ways and just simply dropping it. It seemed they weren’t placing it anywhere in particular, just sort of “spreading it around” so to speak. I have a theory, but I will wait to hear from you.
Well, so ends my ant-tale. I honestly can’t remember what I was supposed to be doing when I first became distracted by these tiny little creatures…these amazing micro-systems of life. But I am glad it happened. I am fascinated by what I have found. The National Geographic recently published an article that chronicled how major industries are studying ants to improve their communications and work flow.
Isn’t that interesting? Job 12 enjoins us to learn from the animals. That is exactly what we should do. I believe there is a whole lot more there to learn, if we will just look.
“God made…all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:25
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9 Responses to “Distracted by Ants, II”
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Dr. Del Tackett is president of the Focus on the Family Institute and Senior Vice President to Focus on the Family. He is also the architect and chief spokesperson for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project--a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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This was a very interesting blog. Ants are fun to watch and are a pleasant distraction from heavy duty life!
The glory of God revealed, His splendor made clear in creation itself. Thanks for sharing this, Dr. Tackett… it honestly brought me close to tears. I am always humbled and amazed at the ways God works, at His greatness and goodness.
And I’m reminded that sometimes just setting aside the busyness of life to watch that in progress is worth the time it takes… that it’s okay to stop and smell the roses (or follow the ants) and simply revel in and marvel at the greatness of this God we are blessed to be following.
Fascinating. Reminds me of a time in high school when a friend and I were walking back from lunch. We spotted some industrious ants and became so intrigued we forgot the time. We ended up missing an entire class in school. Since we’d never skipped a class, or been that late, we got off easy, but I’ll never forget that day of just enjoying the wonders of God’s various family members. Thank you for sharing. Hope this comes through as I’m typing blindly because there is a big brown menu on top of the box.
Del,
Love your stuff. Ants are brilliant innovators, aren’t they? Of course, the more complex they get, the more “splaining” evolution has to do.
One thought, could you shorten your posts just a bit? I try to wade through a lot of blogs and recommend them to others, but your posts are a tad long for daily consumption.
Love the Truth Project. I continue to pray that the Lord will use you and the Project to advance His kingdom and help Christians to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.”
Del, your blog is wonderful all the way around. I feel rather convicted in my spirit reading this one in particular because I go at such a fast speed and do not take the time to let the Lord speak to me through the things I consider insignificant.
I hope your family reunion is wonderful and you find time to rest and relax and just enjoy your family. This will be so special for your Dad. May your burdens be light today, Del. You have a number of readers praying for you daily - you need never feel alone.
Dear Del
Not far from your home is Baptist Road which goes east to the Black Forest Baptist Camp. At least that was what it was called in the years I was growing up in C Springs and spending many summers at the camp. I have spent many hours watching the big black ants scurrying back and forth on seemingly invisible “roads” into and out of crevices and holes. We also liked to play with the big red ants that made large hills, but they liked to bite like the dickens!
It wasn’t until I got to CSU and my Forestry Entomology class that I learned the big black ants are carpenter ants - Camponotus herculanus(L)- and that their invisible roads are marked by pheromones. Their preferred food source is the honeydew from conifer aphids which they “shepard” as you noted.
While I was aware that God was the Creator from an early age, it wasn’t until I took part in the Truth Project that I really began to appreciate the “order” and connectedness of creation and His purpose you so aptly describe in the series and through you’re personal experiences.
Thank you for that clarity
Don Moore
I’ve been thinking over your question. Why are the ants spreading the wood pulp around? It has been a day or two, and I can’t think of any logical reason why they would do that. I thought maybe they want the ground to be moist under the wood, but do ants have saliva? Maybe they are trying to hide something. Every ant has a job to do and maybe their jobs is to move wood pulp around. You say you have a theory, and look forward to you sharing it with us.
Hi Del,
Please don’t shorten your blog at all, I so look forward to your insight and sharing of your faith it would BREAK my heart and I’d feel slighted.
Thank you for spending the time you do ministering to us, I’d encourage you to add more to the blogs, make them longer, draw us in even more!
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Tom S
Thanks Del;
I’m not able to keep up with the blog every day but I sure enjoy playing catch up. I don’t have time to follow a lot of other blogs or other sources, but I find yours well worth the time and absolutely enjoyable. Your personal transparency allows me to relate as though you were a close personal friend.
In Christ, Warren W.