CHARLIE VANDEN HEUVEL
Columbia Gorge Beekeepers Association
Have you been enjoying the awesome spring this year? Every year as winter drags on, the cry is heard “when will spring be here?” Yet, it has appeared with zest!
Surprisingly, humans are not the only ones longing for winter’s end. Insects deep in slumber are awaiting the signs of shifting weather for their time to arise.
One such critter is the Carpenter Ant, a social insect that excavates galleries in wood to create their nests, using their strong jaws (mandibles) to remove quantities of wood to expand the nests.
Both male and female ants emerge from mature colonies typically from March to July. Once the female is mated the male dies. The female then creates a new colony within a small cavity of decayed wood, under bark or other cozy spots. The location must be in a moist location.
The queen ant feeds her young who do not take food, but rather metabolizes stored fat reserves and wing muscles for nourishment. The first young to emerge gather food for their nest mates. Their diet consists of a wide range of plant and animal materials. These foraged foods are regurgitated to nourish the developing larvae and of course the queen.
Carpenter Ant swarmer’s have transparent wings with prominent veins that are paired. The forewings are larger than the hind wings. The males have tiny heads and their body is much smaller than the winged females. They do not quickly lose their wings after swarming.
The workers have strong jaws that can bite readily if handled, injecting formic acid into the wound.
The workers appear in various sizes: majors, medias and minors. The larger workers typically perform guard duties for the nest, battle intruders, and forage for food. The smaller minor workers generally expand the nest and perform care and feeding of the young.
The Carpenter Ant larvae and pupae must be fed and require protein-based foods offering nitrogen protein to support their nutrition. The larvae are legless grub-like transitioning into pupae encased in a tough silk, tan-colored cocoon.
Eggs are laid in early spring and again in late summer. The resultant production generates two adult cohorts. The spring eggs generate workers and sexual forms. The ones laid in late summer become the workers for the ensuing year.
Typically, two types of nests are constructed. The parent nest houses the queen, eggs and small larvae. The satellite contains larger larvae and pupae.
An active colony may produce a distinct, dry rustling sound (possibly loud), similar to the crinkling of cellophane. Chewing sounds may be heard. Any disturbance to their house may result in by striking their mandibles and abdomen against gallery walls as an alarm to alert other colony inhabitants, which is often quite loud.
The ants are most active during nocturnal periods. Shortly after the sun sets, large numbers of ants emerge from their nests in search of food consisting of both plant and animal materials. Insects (living or dead), plant juices, fresh fruits, honey, jelly, sugar, syrup, meats, grease, and fat are some of their sources. A common source of energy is honeydew, a sugary substance excreted by aphids and scale insects.
They travel along well-established trails between home and food sites. Their foraging area up to one-hundred feet from nest sites.
This is a similar pattern to the honey bee! Both are social insects reliant on weather patterns to sustain the colony needs. The honey bee worker emerges from her nest as weather permits to supply nutrients to the tribe. They forage for nectar (a sweet substance offered by flowers), pollen, propolis (derived from tree resin) and water.
The honey bee larvae require copious amounts of both nectar and pollen. Pollen contains protein which in turn has amino acids.
The essence of life is derived from amino acids as their importance to the continuing of life on Earth. These proteins cause or accelerate the vast majority of chemical reactions at the cellular level. In other words, provide the structural elements of each cell, help bind cells together to develop tissue.
It becomes the circle of life. The seasons provide differing opportunities for all life forms to either rest, mate or interact with other life forms.
Here in the Columbia Gorge, the abundance of fruit is totally reliant on the insect world. Take a moment to walk in step with our surroundings to observe the intricacies of nature, especially during this robust period of spring.
The Columbia Gorge Beekeepers Association meets on the third Wednesday of each month, http://www.gorgebeekeepers.org/, at the Hood River Extension, 2990 Experiment Station at 6:00 p.m. A different subject is presented by an Entomologists or experienced beekeeper. All are welcome. Visitors may attend in person or via Zoom. You may reach out to the club for login information - admin@gorgebeekeepers.org. You may also enjoy a visit to the Hood River Extension to view the three bee hives maintained by the Columbia Gorge Beekeeping Club and financially by the Hood River Master Gardeners, Klahre House and the Columbia Gorge Beekeepers
Association.
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