Ants against ticks
With the onset of April and until the autumn, many blood-sucking insects appear in the forests and parks. Tick bites cause fatal diseases in humans. It is too expensive and dangerous for nature to sprinkle with poison all green plantings, therefore scientists are looking for ways to get rid of bloodsuckers by a biological method. Here the question arose whether ants and ticks can exist together or they are enemies.
Do Ants Eat Ticks?
Forest view is a hunter. One anthill clears pests of forest area of 0.2 hectares. He collects caterpillars, slugs, midges and many other harmful inhabitants of the forest.Therefore, the arthropod attracted the attention of scientists who decided to find out whether ants eat ticks or not.
On a note!
Many biologists have said that there is no point in conducting experiments, because bloodsuckers are not considered "forest nurses" as food.
The scientists nevertheless decided to find out how formic acid affects ixodid ticks. It turned out that the bites of the first caused the death of the second. Biologists have noted the fact that there, where the ants - there are no ticks, and the number of parasites increases with distance from the ant nest. Therefore, it can be argued that forest ants affect the number of bloodsuckers.
Can ticks parasitize ants
It happens that ants against ticks are powerless. One type of saprotroph ticks brings useful insects to death, clinging to their bodies. Nymphs of the parasite attach to adult individuals and sometimes their number is so large that the worker stops moving.
On a note!
Saprotrophs often settle in formicaria or on ant farmkept by insect lovers at home.
The pest clings tightly enough and even after molting its shell remains hanging on an ant body.Fellows from the colony can be separated from the "victim" skins, but they are powerless against the insect itself. This happens because the nymph has ways to protect:
- her body is slippery;
- paws are tenacious;
- The parasite itself is agile and quickly runs away from the ants.
Saprotrof breeds with great speed, and the nymphs cover the chitinous shell of the worker, hammering his spiracles and holding down movements. The whole colony soon perishes because of this enemy.
Interesting!
In tropical countries, there is another original parasite Cordyceps, which literally turns ants into zombies.
Species of ants and ticks in nature a lot. Sometimes the former destroy the latter, and sometimes the latter win in a fight. It all depends on the place of the "battle" - in nature or formicaria. In their natural environment, parasites fight, trimming lawns, collecting fallen leaves, scavenging. Site owners must also monitor the purity of their territory.
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