HONEY ANTS 31 



Crossing Streams, Driver Ants, Forming Clusters, 

 Honey Ants. 



ALBERT. I heard that some kinds of ants can cross 

 streams. 



CECIL. Let me read how it's done: "The ants cling 

 to one another from the branch of a tree over water. They 

 extend this ant chain until the lower end is in the stream 

 and carried to the opposite shore by the current of water 

 or wind. Then the ants by the thousand cross the bridge." 



ALBERT. Huh ! 



CECIL. And that isn't all. "Sometimes the several 

 thicknesses of ants will open up, making a tubular bridge 

 through which the vast number of ants pass." 



ALBERT : Is it true that the Driver ants of Africa chase 

 large animals? 



CECIL. In their raids, these ants drive every living land 

 animal before them, including the black natives. Of 

 course, flying insects escape, but birds follow to capture 

 them. 



ANT. Look out and you'll find some ants (Ecitons) 

 around here that are as bad as the Drivers. 



ALBERT. How about some of the ants of Africa and 

 South America hanging in clusters like bees? 



CECIL. Some of these clusters are a yard through, and 

 have regular tunnels leading to the center. 



ALBERT. I read that in Borneo a certain ant bites the 

 limb of a tree and plants a seed in the wound. After the 

 seed grows into a round bump, the ants drill holes in it 

 for their nest. In protecting themselves from enemies, 

 they protect the tree from the same. 



CECIL. That's like the red three-inch balls on this oak 

 bush. An insect punches a hole in the limb, leaves her 

 eggs in the wound, and an oak ball grows and becomes the 



