Antlions!

 

This time of year here in the Central Valley is usually dry and dusty. If you look around building foundations, fence posts, or anywhere the dust tends to pile up, you may see a strange thing. You will find upside-down cones in the dirt. You probably have them around where you live too if you look closely. They look like this.

The cone is actually a trap made by the larva of an antlion. They are often called “doodlebugs” because of the way they spin and wiggle. The walls of the pit are very steep and lined with loose sand and dust particles. When an unsuspecting ant falls in one, it finds it very hard to crawl out. The doodlebug throws sand at the ant to knock it further down towards the bottom. If the ant falls to the bottom of the pit, the larva grabs it with its sharp mandibles (jaws) and pulls it underground. Its mandibles are hollow like a straw so it sucks all the juices out of the ant and throws the dry part out of the pit. Them to waits patiently for another ant or small insect to wander by. They eat, and eat, and eat! Here’s a video of a doodlebug in action.

When it gets large enough, it will for a pupa and rest for a few days. Soon it will emerge as an adult ant lion. The adults look a lot like damselflies. You don’t usually see them flying around during the day. They are pretty shy. The y don’t eat ants like the doodlebugs but instead prefer to sip nectar from flowers. They only live a few weeks in their adult form.

If you look around carefully, you might find some. They are fun to watch and really can’t hurt us. We’re just way to big to get trapped like an ant!

Well that’s all for this week.

Love, Papaw.