weaver ant
Oecophylla smaragdina
-2.56285, 140.504
Field Notes
Description:
"Weaver Ants eat any small creatures that they can find, but they are particularly attracted to nectar. The weaver ants do not have a stinger, but inflict a painful bite which is aggravated by irritating chemicals secreted from their abdomen." They get their name from the way they build their nests http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7820719 "A colony may be dispersed over several nests which may be placed in various locations in a tree, or even span several trees. The queen is located in one nest and her eggs are distributed to the other nests." See the spread of a colony here http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7023071
Habitat:
This spotting on emerging figs on a Ficus sp. tree in a large semi-urban yard and garden adjacent to a disturbed patch of remnant forest.
Notes:
This species has increased its presence drastically in the past year and now can be seen on all manner of shrubs and trees, and even herbaceous flowers in my yard & garden.
Comments (2)