Handling Atta. Ceph.

[RichardP]

Hi, I have an Atta colony and generally I'll avoid handling the ants. But, if I were to handle them does anyone know if they will bite whilst crawling on you (without any undue provocation).

I appreciate the answer may vary depending on size/caste of ant.

[Leafcutter]

Try it and see . Get a nice big soldier out and let it calm down in a test tube and then allow it to walk on the soft parts of your hand, in between fingers is good .

[RichardP]

Try it and see . Get a nice big soldier out and let it calm down in a test tube and then allow it to walk on the soft parts of your hand, in between fingers is good .

Ummm.. I think on the whole I'd rather find out from other peoples experience ..

[Acromyrmexbob]

If you could film the ensuing Atta dance I would be most grateful. Seriously though, most of the timewhen you are exposed to Atta on your hand its when you are interacting with the nest and the workers are responding to an overload of Alarm Pheromone. They will definitely bite in this circumstance. If, however, you get an ant away from the nest and it walks onto you rather than you picking it up then they do not bite. Soldiers which are 'calm' also do not bite but getting them calm is almost impossible when they are not in their nest and every time they get to you from the nest they bite. Acros will not break the skin, neither will Attas up to sub majors but my general rule is with Attas.....'if its big enough to have hairs then its going to cut you!'

[RichardP]

*Looks up sub major"

Thanks.. I may see if I can bring myself to let one walk around on my hand.

[Acromyrmexbob]

When I am collecting Acromyrmex I lift fungus and all ants out of the ground with no gloves. Same for small Attas. With the big fellas its crazy trying to avoid getting bitten. Their tactic is to charge, hundreds of them, all soldiers. The circle gets bigger until you are kneeling in the middle of them in order to reach into the ground for the nest or to keep digging. You know they are climbing trouser legs and boots and you also know that sooner or later they will reach skin. The Atta dance is both very funny (when its someone else) and very painful (when its me). Invariably they will get you somewhere thats difficult to get to them quickly. Like down your trousers or inside your top or on your back, just where you cant reach. I've had a few times when I have looked down at my jeans and there have literally been 200 full sized soldiers with their jaws sunk into the denim, cutting. Luckily they bite as soon as they reach something soft and dont travel all the way up your leg every time.

[Deansie26]

Correct me if I'm wrong Andrew but do you not get off on loads of Acromyrmex bites? Lol

[RichardP]

When I am collecting Acromyrmex I lift fungus and all ants out of the ground with no gloves. Same for small Attas. With the big fellas its crazy trying to avoid getting bitten. Their tactic is to charge, hundreds of them, all soldiers. The circle gets bigger until you are kneeling in the middle of them in order to reach into the ground for the nest or to keep digging. You know they are climbing trouser legs and boots and you also know that sooner or later they will reach skin. The Atta dance is both very funny (when its someone else) and very painful (when its me). Invariably they will get you somewhere thats difficult to get to them quickly. Like down your trousers or inside your top or on your back, just where you cant reach. I've had a few times when I have looked down at my jeans and there have literally been 200 full sized soldiers with their jaws sunk into the denim, cutting. Luckily they bite as soon as they reach something soft and dont travel all the way up your leg every time.

On that BBC documentary (Ant Planet?) didn't I see you with gaffer tape round the top of your wellies? I thought that was hilarious.. or was it gaffer tape round the top of your gloves.. I can't remember.. I ought go back and check..

That said it could have been Adam..

[Acromyrmexbob]

I think that was me. Honestly there were thousands of soldiers there. Off camera the box was covered with blood.