It seems that the ants also have a big five, yip and these ants should be avoided at all costs. Now what makes the big five so remarkable is the fact that they are the big five out of over 12000 ant species. So where do we find these ants and are they only dangerous or do they have any benefits they can provide to the human society?
The Bulldog ant (Myrmeciinae is a subfamily of the Formicidae) these ants was once found world wide but now they are restricted to Australia, yip down under. They are classified as the most dangerous ants in the world. They are commonly found in the Australian Coastline. These ants are extremely aggressive and uses both its sting and jaw to defend their nest. Their venom causes great allergic reactions and has killed people in under 20 min. So is there any benefits to humans that these ants can provide, yes these ants has a venom that can actually be very helpful in treatments for humans to help with pain, talk about a bitter sweet situation.
Now there is more than one ant down under that is worth mentioning, the pony ant or also known as the green head ant. These ants also produce a very painful sting that can actually send their victims into a anaphylactic shock. But these ants has some benefits to us as humans, yip they can help control termites, beetles and moth larvae.
Now to the nomads of the Ant species comes the safari ants, now their name will give their location away, they live in East and Central Africa. Now these ants don't live in nests but has a nomadic existence, they actually swarm their prey and when these colonies are on the move they can consume 100's of thousands of prey daily. Now these ants believe it or not are actually hugely beneficial to the farming communities in their area, they are a natural pest control as they consume crop eating insects and even rats. Wow seems like a Rambo type of story.
Now one of the more well known ants is the fire ant, they are found in many parts of the world and their name is probably given due to the painful sting they give, a sting that burns like hell and leaves behind a swollen itchy bump that can get infected if scratched. Be very careful when you come across these fellas as they release a pheromone that will send the armies in to attack. Now same as the aforementioned these ants also have great benefits for humans, it turns out they have a huge appetite for fleas, ticks, termites, cockroaches, chinch bugs, mosquito eggs and larva, scorpions, etc.
The last of the big five to mention is the South American Bullet Ant, these guys has the most painful sting world wide with a sting compared to a gun shot. Their sting is known as the 24 hour sting as this is how long the pain will last. Other reactions to the venom include swelling, limb paralysis, and uncontrollable shaking. So do they have benefits to us as humans? So it seems that the most noticeable benefit to humans is their appearance, yip it will send you running.
Roach Approach S.A
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