Black fire ant warriors are strong, but invasive termites are not weak either.
About one-tenth of the termite colony is a full-time soldier ant, which is larger than the worker ants. Its head is particularly huge, dark brown and round. Except for a small and pitiful bit of brain tissue, the rest is all muscle tissue.
This kind of termite has a veritable head full of muscles...
Termites have two types of soldier ants. One type of soldier ant has a pair of large jaws that are curved like a sickle. They are very powerful and can quickly cut a black fire ant into two pieces.
There is also a kind of soldier ant with a horn that protrudes forward like an elephant's trunk. It can spray gelatinous mucus from the trunk. Not only can it trap the opponent and prevent it from moving, the mucus is also corrosive and will cause damage to the target. The middle one causes continuous damage.
The invading termite clan is now desperate. As the whole clan migrates, they are particularly eager for a new land to live. The fighting will of the termites is therefore extremely tenacious, far exceeding the expectations of the defenders!
In this day's battle, both sides were evenly matched. The rugged and fragmented battlefield quickly forced the originally barely intact battle line into pieces. Whether it was black fire ants or termites, they quickly turned into small groups of battle groups. , fighting together in a complicated and chaotic manner.
Nowhere is safe on the battlefield. Enemy ants may emerge from any corner, from the front, sides, or even the rear.
Densely packed ant corpses soon accumulated in a thick layer under the weeds. Countless tiny lives were quickly annihilated like catkins falling into the fire. The instinct of survival was completely crushed by the desire to kill.
It was not until nearly dusk that the two armies retreated. Each side suffered about one-sixth of the battle losses.
The termites were the first to retreat to their starting base, which was far away. They dug many rough and crude holes about half an hour away from the battlefield.
A regular termite nest is similar to a black fire ant hive, but much taller. In terms of termite size, its nest is comparable to a building, but it does not have as many entrances and exits as a black fire ant nest.
The current invasive termite colony has no intention of settling, so it only builds temporary burrows.
The black fire ant army had a short distance to return to their nest, and they had time to clean up the battlefield. In addition to bringing back the corpses of higher-status leaders, they also brought back a large number of termite corpses.
Termites and ants are different species of insects. Adult termites have white, tender and fat bodies, are rich in fat and protein, and have more calories than beef. They are very good food for ants who will eat similar corpses when they are hungry.
The Black Fire Ant Kingdom had previously imported dried termite carcasses from the sharp-tailed ants as a high-end food exclusive to the leader. There are a lot of fresh termite corpses on the battlefield this time, and they will not let them go.
Even early the next morning, the black fire ant defenders dispatched a transport team composed of up to ten thousand worker ants to take credit for delivering a large number of fresh termite corpses to the main nest.
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The next day, the termite colony once again launched an active attack, but the black fire ant army still went out to fight. The two sides continued the battle that had not ended yesterday.
However, the number of termites today is no less than the previous day, and they have obviously received reinforcements. In addition to the battle losses, the Black Fire Ant Army also sent additional troops for evacuation and transportation, and its strength was only about 70% of the previous day.
Under the circumstances, the black fire ant army suffered a loss in this day's battle and was forced to retreat. At one point, it was almost forced back to the nest.
The formation where the supreme commander of the Black Fire Ant Army was located was once attacked by a lost termite battle group. Fortunately, the elite Black Fire Ant Guards resisted desperately and were able to cover the successful evacuation of several important leaders.
The invading termites continue to increase their numbers.
In this large-scale migration away from home, the invading termites brought all their belongings and people with them. During long-distance marches and battles, a large number of old and weak people have died on the way, leaving only the young and strong.
The termite army has a long line with a clear division of labor. The main force in the front is responsible for conquering new lands until a suitable new territory is found.
The middle one is the main formation that protects and transports the queen ants. Although its military strength is not as good as that of the front formation, it has the highest proportion of soldier ants and the most elite troops. The Chinese army will take over the land occupied by the former army and forage there.
When the Chinese army also breaks camp and leaves, the rear army who is trailing behind will take over and settle in. There are many queens, but they are relatively old and weak. They are also responsible for receiving and carrying the eggs newly laid by the queen and the hatched termites.
The rear army usually delays setting out for several days and rushes to catch up with the central army. They need enough stay time to take care of the eggs and young termites.
Where this termite army passed, almost most plants containing lignocellulose were damaged. Some trees were fine, but most shrubs were harvested or had their interiors hollowed out.
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On the third day of the battle, the black fire ant army could only hold on to the nest.
The invading termite army and the front army have merged, and the main force of more than 400,000 people has surrounded the black fire ant garrison.
The black fire ant army hoped for the first batch of reinforcements this morning, but then, to their despair, more than 30,000 reinforcements were invaded by the termite army within the visual range of the male ants defending the hive ant mound. Surrounded and ultimately annihilated.
Because the reinforcements attracted firepower, the black fire ant defenders did not encounter much offensive pressure today. However, the surrounded reinforcements acted as scapegoats. Not a single one of them survived, and the entire army was annihilated.
Termites also do not eat the ant carcasses. When they evacuate, the black fire ant defenders organize ant hands to collect the carcasses at dusk.
Under the identification of some leaders of the garrison, the bodies of the male ant leaders who died in the reinforcements were picked out, and then cremated overnight to honor the dead.
The Black Fire Ant Country is rich in coal. Although this frontline nest does not produce coal, it does have a lot of stocks.
The coal particles were piled into a small mound outdoors, and the corpses of male ants killed in recent battles were spread on the surface, making the coal mound much taller.
Then spread a thin layer of coal, spread hay and dry wood branches, and light it with kindling taken from the fire in the nest.
In the blazing flames, the corpses of the black fire ants were burned and curled up one by one in the twisted fire light, and then quickly turned into ashes and returned to the world of the Vulcan.
As for the corpses of ordinary black fire ant warriors, they were not eligible for cremation and were not buried. They continued to be exposed to the wind and sun outdoors, as if they were the most common dung and were not worthy of disposal.
On the fourth day, there was a rain, not too big or too small, but quite long. The invading termites were unable to continue their attack, which gave the defenders a chance to breathe.
The rain has just stopped, and the temporary camp set up by the invading termites is leaking everywhere. It needs a lot of ant force to deal with it. Otherwise, it will not be able to survive the night and troops will not be dispatched for the time being.
As for the black fire ant defenders, a reinforcement force finally took advantage of the gap to arrive and settled into the nest.
