I could say that we took more interest in the ant hill because we were in Tanzania and that makes everything new and exciting butI think Sheryl and I would both take interest in bugs when we have the time to be interested in bugs.
After growing up with the horror stories of the siafu eating the parakeets, Sheryl was a bit fearful of them. (okay, so was I) Perhaps her siafu fear has encouraged her study of ants in general.
The siafu march through the forests in long lines. They live on the move without any place in particular to call home. (So how do they sleep? - Do ants sleep?) They do not have the nastiest bite, just a bit of a pinch. The fire ants in the Southern US are far nastier as far as just the bite is concerned. The siafu are famous for their effectiveness in mass. They are capable of killing large prey by asphyxiation - smothering by crawling into the mouth and nose. Mom remembers the crib legs being placed in cans of kerosene to keep the ants away from the babies.
Our cousins use these long lines of ants to lead unsuspecting folks into the forest, have them stop near the line, and then point out something to stop and look at (thereby giving the ants a chance to get 'em). They didn't try this on us, but I think we may have panicked if they had.
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