FLY FISHING WITH ANTS--by Skip Nault

Of the terrestrial fly patterns most likely to be found in a fly fishers fly box, grasshoppers beetles and ants are the most likely candidates. I have written about the beetles on this website, here I discuss the ants.

Ants are by far and away the most numerous insects on earth. More than 10,000 different species have been named. Yes, there are many more beetle species, over 350,000, but I am referring to the number of individual insects. A 'megacolony' of the Argentine ant was estimated to contain more than 306 million workers. Worldwide, the biomass (weight) of all ants is thought to make up 10% of all animals. In the Amazon rainforest where ants are most prolific, they make up nearly one-third of the biomass.

Ants are true social insects like many of their bee and wasp relatives. This means they live in colonies, with one or more reproductive females (queens) and numerous sterile workers. This social organization means that the colony works together for the common goal of colony growth, reproduction and defense. Social ants hunt and subdue prey together, recruit nestmates to rich food sources, cultivate and care for the brood, and defend the colony from intruders. Among the more well known ant species are the army ants, leafcutter ants, driver ants and weaver ants. Most of these species are tropical and would not be found in the mid-western United States.

It was only by chance tha (See the Full Article...)