Marshwood Vale, Dorset: Within hours they were seething over what looked like a heap of beige beansIn only 48 hours, ants took over one of our new compost bins. Lifting the lid to chuck in some wilted celery stumps, I saw them seething over what looked like a heap of nude baked beans.They weren’t baked beans but pupae, wrapped in beige silk. The larvae of black garden ants (Lasius niger) are one of several ant species that spin cocoons to pupate. It is thought that the casing protects against lethal fungal infections. Continue reading…
Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Country diary: black garden ants are quick to colonise the compost | Country diary
