I’d been wondering about these crazy ants I was dealing with in Southern California this past summer. Finally, with the help of a Ant expert- I (she) identified them as Liometopum occidentale, the Velvety Tree Ant.
These guys were really interesting. They were really aggressive, in that they would be crawling up your legs by the 10’s only seconds after putting your feet down.. Despite this- they did not bite.
Squishing them was a treat too. Now I a against killing thing- but I had too only to save the food and other supplies. Anyway, they smelled exactly like bug spray, or some other noxious chemical. Weird!
Turns out that these guys often form mutualistic relationship with various caterpillars- eating the ectoparasites off the and defending them against predators…
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