Bull Ants
Facts About The Fierce Bull Ants
Bull ants can't gore you but they sure can sting. These fierce little creatures from Australia are among the largest of the 8,000 or so species of ants in the world, attaining a length of about an inch, one of the oldest, and by all accounts, the most aggressive. There are several species of bull ants, including the red bull ant and the bulldog ant.
A Nasty Sting - Bull ants don't bite humans, their mouths are much too gentle, although strong enough to feed on other insects, and they have a definite liking for honeydew. They sure can sting however, and sting repeatedly. The stinger won't stay in you as it has no barbs, but the ant will hang on with its large jaws while it injects the venom, formic acid. There are natural remedies available (in Australia) such as the juice of the pigface ground cover plant, which can quickly relieve the sting, but if you have nothing available, the sting can hurt for a couple of days.
Oh, To Be A Male - In a typical colony of bull ants there are the worker ants that scavenge for food and keep everything clean and tidy, soldier ants that protect the colony from predators, those being primarily other ants, spiders, and wasps, and the Queen ant. There is also a male ant, usually only one per colony, all the workers and soldiers being female. It would seem that if you are a male and have a next life, being a male bull ant wouldn't be all that bad. The male bull ant is only there to mate with the queen however, and apparently is not allowed to frolic with the worker bull ants or with the soldiers.
Peaceful Coexistence - Bull ants will fiercely defend their underground nests although there are a few smaller ants and other small insects which they will peacefully share their home with. The bull ants have an interesting relationship with aphids, as the ant's favorite food is honeydew. The ants tend to the aphids like dairy cattle and in the process protect and defend the aphids from predators. The aphids in return supply the bull ants with a supply of honeydew. This can be a problem in some agricultural areas where, due to the protection the bull ants provide, aphids can grow into the millions and the only way to permanently eradicate them is to get rid of any bull ants nesting in the area.
Long Live The Queen - A Queen bull ant starts a colony by digging a small chamber and laying eggs in it, repeating this process continually, being the only female in the colony that lays eggs. A Queen may live for 10 years, and virtually all the ants that are born are female. There is as mentioned before, only a single male involved, although on occasion there may be more than one male in a colony, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Like other ants, bull ants progress from eggs to larvae to pupae to adults. Worker ants bring food to the colony, including insects which are fed to the larvae which have huge jaws. Some of the food is stored in the underground chambers for future use. Most of the gathering of food is done at night with the ants seldom venturing out during the daytime unless it is cool and moist. In colder weather the ants remain deep underground.
Bull ants are interesting creatures of observe, but quite naturally are best observed from a safe distance. They are small creatures with a very large creature's attitude, and not an insect to fool around with.