NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK – THE WORLD OF ANTS!! – By GARETH JONES

My vehicle stopped suddenly near the Kingfisher picnic site, in front me a moving mass snaked its way across the road, a closer inspection revealed seemingly millions of red army ants (known as Siafu in Swahili). It was fascinating to watch their deliberate aggressive advance as they moved in unison so that from a distance they almost look like a single living creature on the move. They can consume almost any form of living protein in their advance path. The advance of the siafu army with millions of ants is slow but sure, allowing larger faster species to escape, while slower or injured species become prey.

This sighting triggered memories of an event that happened to our family, many years ago in the Kibali forest – Uganda. In early evening darkness we walked into a very large mass of army ants in our path, I realized immediately what had happened and shouted “RUN!”, even though we moved with record speeds many ants still managed to bite us. The result was an “ant dance” that would have won any dance competition and having to partly remove clothing to get rid of them, as they do not let go easily.

There are 60 species of army ants in the genus – Dorylus mostly found in Central and East Africa, a single colony can contain over 20 million ants. They are completely blind and rely on pheromones to communicate. Pheromones are secreted chemical hormone factors that can have different scents for different reasons, like alarm pheromones, food trail pheromones, or sex pheromones. I guess it is a bit like humans using different types of pre-coded deodorants to
communicate various messages without speaking. They serve good purpose in nature by cleaning any dead matter or pests and vermin from an area, including in human homes. The Masai allow siafu to move through their homes as they clean out any vermin like rats and cockroaches, and the Masai still use the large pincer jaws as stitches to close their bush wounds.

Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. More than 12,500 species have been classified, with Africa having over 2500 species of ants. However, it is believed that thousands of species are still unclassified worldwide. Ants are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists. It is also important to note that ants are not termites, although termites are often called “white ants” they are from a completely different order called Isoptera. Interestingly ants behave in such unison at times that scientists believe they almost have an intelligence code that through pheromones is quite advanced, in allowing them to communicate well when hunting and defending.

There are also different types of ants with each species, with the most common being worker ants and then soldier ants, and the queen ant being central to their roles to ensure their survival. Another very interesting fact is that certain species of ants actually do a type of “farming” activity to get nutrients. Leafcutter ants are hard-working creatures known for expertly carving up leaves and then carrying back little pieces to their colony, creating neat lines of undulating green armies. They use the leaves to farm fungus which they eat – they are essentially mushroom farmers. ( In fact, I have actually seen this phenomenon in the Langata forest, after heavy rains thousands of mushrooms came out of an ants nest around a large tree, clearly indicating that there are masses of fungi spores below the ground). Herder ants, as their name suggest, tend to aphids – the little green bugs that drink
plants’ nutrients and are considered pests by every farmer on earth, except for their own six-legged keepers. Ants love the sugary substance aphids exert and treat the bugs as their dairy cows. So therefore just like farming runs in human families, so does it in the ant colonies.

When in the Nairobi National Park, or in fact any natural place it is good to try and observe the tiny little creatures around us. As humans, we are mostly so very busy dealing with whatever life issues we are facing, that very few of us simply stop and have a quiet moment. Sometimes as we sit quietly and watch the tiny insects going about their lives, then it perhaps gives us a perspective on the meaning of our lives. Considering that ants work so hard, seemingly
tirelessly, and we humans are so weak when comparing their size and energy relative to size. Interestingly even the Bible has a well-known verse that refers to ants, in the hope that people will not be lazy and have wisdom. Proverbs 6:6- “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

Yes! God has created many wonders, and ants are one of them.

The park is open daily from 06h00 to 19h00.

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