Watch the Ants in the rain

[GSXR_Boy]

Really??? Get the snakes by entering through their ears??

ha ha

 

[slim6y]

Really??? Get the snakes by entering through their ears??

My guess by ears he was meaning cloaca... Because ants entering in via the cloaca and it's game over - especially if the snake is already blinded by 20 ants... And for a good measure one ant in each nostril.

BTW - I am a firm believer ants could kill a snake (not necessarily by the above mentioned scenario) - but it's a definite possibility.

Hell, a nest of green tree ants could take down a grown human (I'm not suggesting an instant death - but you'd be wishing it!).

A friend of mine walked into a green tree ants' nest and had to take a quick dip in the water to shake them off.

I've watched green tree ants take down gex no problems at all - very quickly... Though, I've also watch an AHG take out a couple of green tree ants before making a quick dash to safety.

 

[CrystalMoon]

My condolences to the op on their loss very very sad :cry: I have read every ones posts with great interest. I have come across many animals overcome by ants whilst out in the bush, I just assumed the animals had something wrong with them. Every-ones posts have sure got me thinking, I did have tiny brown ants in one of my enclosures but they were not interested in my snake I think they were after the water? After that incident I put those ant traps around all my enclosures and have never had problems since... Definitely food for thought......

 

[thomasssss]

Hell, a nest of green tree ants could take down a grown human (I'm not suggesting an instant death - but you'd be wishing it!).

A friend of mine walked into a green tree ants' nest and had to take a quick dip in the water to shake them off.
.

haha the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago , one of my not so bright mates reversed his car straight into a gutter on the side of the road, he must of taken out one of their nests when he did because as we were working out how to get it out i must of trod on it and before i noticed i had at least 50 ants moving up my leg and a fair few had already made it into my pants i did the same thing your friend did and jumped into one of those little green kiddies pools but they kept biting for a while still i have never had an allergic reaction to green ants but this time i did just went all swollen

 

[richardsc]

is there cane toads in the area?

 

[Bluetongue1]

My sympathy for OPs loss. That would be absolutely the last thing you would expect.

There are several thousand species of native ants and a number of established exotic species in Australia. So when people start talking about “small black ants” there are probably several hundred species that would fill the bill. That is why it is important to get culprit identified. A bit of sticky and a few ants on it, or a few frozen specimens, in an envelop and sent to your local Department of Agriculture is all that is required. The service is free. They are also happy to advise on control measures appropriate for that species.

When I was living in Carnarvon, we had a problem with these tiny black ants. Smaller than th usual garden variety. I remember picking up what I thought was a black spoon next to the stove top one morning. The black immediately began to break up to reveal a metal spoon covered by thousands of the little beggars. I did get them identified by a mate at the Ag Dept. and ended up using a granular ant poison called Amdro. It was not recommended for this species (the name of which I have long since forgotten) but my mate told me it would work for this species too and it did. The workers take the bait back to the nests and feed the queens and this kills off the colonies.

Most native ants, especially the black Iridomyremex spp you get in your garden, get particularly active prior to rain but then pretty much seal off their nests while it is raining. These smaller balck ants we had actively sought out moist areas and were active even when it was raining. They were not very big but the sheer weight of numbers over any food source was staggering. You’d get thousands of them in the kitchen overnight if you left out anything food related.

I had a small dragon on temporary display in my aquarium at school. I came in one morning to find the dragon dead and covered in these ants. It was healthy and active when I had headed home so there is no question in my mind that these ants actively killed the dragon. They were obviously an aggressive species like the Green Ants that have been mentioned. Thankfully, far and away the majority of native ant species are not aggressive although they will bite (and sting if they can) if you present a threat.

I have been told that ants don’t like mint species. I do not know if this is true but it might be worth investigating as a possible ecologically friendly alternative to harsh chemical barriers.

Blue

 

[mysnakesau]

I had ants attack one of my pythons one time. I regularly take mine outside to move about on the grass and one of my bigger girls quickly became covered in little black ants. I could tell they annoyed her by the way she moved. The only way could relieve her was to stick her in a bucket of water, and hose to get them all off her. She survived the attack but was noticeably stressed by it due to her good appetite being ruined for several weeks and shedding twice within a month when she normally sheds once every 3 months.

 

[slim6y]

is there cane toads in the area?

Why do you ask?

Toads are not big ant eaters (all the ones I have dissected are full of beetles and moths).

 

[konp69]

Most native ants, especially the black Iridomyremex spp you get in your garden,

AKA red ants, AKA meat ants, AKA "OWOWOWOWOWWWW WHAT THE F-CK'S BITING ME OW DAMNIT"

Hate those goddamn things.

 

[Bluetongue1]

I can remember being out herping south of Sydney as a lad and sitting down to rest my weary bones. Problem was I didn't look before I sat. I was wearing shorts and the bare area of my legs start to feel odd. I looked down to find I had parked my feet over a yellow bull joe nest and both legs were covered almost to the knees. With reflexes and speed that I was unaware I was capable of, I was on my feet and headed directly for the thickest piece of shrubbery at hand. After a bit of high leg lifting foootball training, including running backwards, I emerged onto the trail to inspect the damage. Thankfully ant free, other than a couple of decapitated heads that I had to prize the jaws open to remove. With both legs glowing red from what were only superficial scratches, I figured I got off lightly. Of course my mates found the whole episode highly entertaining and all but wet themselves laughing. I had to wait five minutes for one them to regain enough enough composure to ask if I was OK.
Needless to say, to this day I am still careful to check the ground if I stop when out bush.

 

[user 16324]

I had my MD out on the grass one day and noticed a single ant (small and black, common ant) climb on his back and I could tell it aggravated him as he sort of twitched as if the ant has bitten or stung him a bit. So I too have no doubt in my mind that a large number of ants could take down a snake.

 

[mysnakesau]

I can remember being out herping south of Sydney as a lad and sitting down to rest my weary bones. Problem was I didn't look before I sat. I was wearing shorts and the bare area of my legs start to feel odd. I looked down to find I had parked my feet over a yellow bull joe nest and both legs were covered almost to the knees. With reflexes and speed that I was unaware I was capable of, I was on my feet and headed directly for the thickest piece of shrubbery at hand. After a bit of high leg lifting foootball training, including running backwards, I emerged onto the trail to inspect the damage. Thankfully ant free, other than a couple of decapitated heads that I had to prize the jaws open to remove. With both legs glowing red from what were only superficial scratches, I figured I got off lightly. Of course my mates found the whole episode highly entertaining and all but wet themselves laughing. I had to wait five minutes for one them to regain enough enough composure to ask if I was OK.
Needless to say, to this day I am still careful to check the ground if I stop when out bush.

Hahaa, I am sorry I think I would have laughed too. I am terrible like that though. I try very hard to show compassion through the fits of laughter that I cannot control.