BY BARGE, SAILBOAT, CAMEL, HORSE OR BIKE!         
Noel & Jackie's Journeys
  • Our Travels
  • About Us
  • Our Books
  • Gift Store
  • Contact
  • Travel Photos

Rantbo!

5/6/2017

0 Comments

 
One of Australia’s smallest, but in some ways largest, creature took me on and almost beat me.
It also caused mayhem by way of biting a half-tonne horse!

Picture
Bitey Things
Yes, everything bites in Australia, even the grass. Tiny garden ants will even give you a nice nip. It doesn’t really hurt, but you know they are there.

Introduction to Ants
In our first year of marriage, we were in the dinghy heading for home (our first boat) when Noel squawked “ouch!”

We discovered that he’d been bitten by an ant – it was about 5 mm long.

“Good grief, it’s an ant! Pull yourself together.” Sympathetic I was not. I’d just emigrated from the UK where an ant bite was something you did when trying to lose weight.

Of course, I received my comeuppenance when a similar-sized ant decided to taste me and I yelped, “bloody, f**king hell-bells, what the??!!”

“It’s an ant dear, pull yourself together.” Noel had such fun getting me back!”

“It bloody hurts, how can something so tiny have such powerful jaws!”
Picture
Bull Ants
But I hadn’t been introduced to Bull ants at this point – here’s some fun facts about these feisty little creatures:
  • As far as ants go – Bull Ants are giants
  • They are instantly recognisable by their huge mandibles on the front of their heads (just imagine ‘alien’)
  • They can be extremely aggressive (I know)
  • Bull ants can sting multiple times (I can confirm this too)
  • They are large, and can grow up to 40 mm 
  • Potent venom-loaded sting deliver painful stings by gripping the intruder with their mandibles, curling their abdomen to reveal the sting and injecting the victim with venom (how delightful)
 
Rantbo
These ants attack. If you piss them off by walking too close to them they sit back on their haunches with fisted legs as if to say, ‘come on, are you ready to take me on?’ They literally face-you-off when they are entirely alone!


If you stomp on them they concertina into a flat-pack-ant – then spring back up as if nothing has happened and all you’ve achieved is REALLY pissing them off! So it is best just to leave... quietly... perhaps just back away....

Ant Makes Horse Fly!
I’d had an odd day – I think my body was shutting down in protest of not having a day off for several weeks.

“I’m going for a ride.” I said to Noel as he continued working. I needed a nice gentle walk up and down yonder, at one with nature.

Dom (soft baby, not scared of anything) willingly put his nose in his headcollar and enjoyed a brush. Ned (scared boy but getting better) did the same.

I was brushing Dom and Ned was standing behind me, tied up, when suddenly he jumped several feet in the air, snapped the line he was attached to and galloped off. 


An hour of mayhem
Ned eventually let me catch him, then would freak. Pulling away with fear in the whites of his eyes and heavy snorting.

I hand schooled him for twenty minutes but had to give up, he jumped and snorted and kept breaking away. 

I saddled up Dom, thinking Ned would calm and I’d catch him and lead him while onboard Dom.
I picked up Ned’s head collar and something bit me.

“Ouch, what the??” I dropped the headcollar and shook my hand.

The recent news item of a man having his second leg amputated after a small spider bite immediately swamped my mind. I stood for a while watching my finger, waiting for it to swell and preparing myself to run to Noel to screech at him to take me to the hospital.

Although the pain shot up to the tip of my finger, after a few minutes it eased.

“Right, so I am not going to lose my arm today, jolly good.”

I swooped up the headcollar in the other hand, and CHOMP, the bloody thing bit me again. My mouth turned foul and I watched an enormous bull ant sit on the headcollar on its haunches, threatening me!
Picture
                                It bit me just above my rings - it was just starting to swell here.

After two hours of Ned going besserk I was nearly in tears – my soothing walk with nature a distant dream. The ant could have bitten Ned on the face, around the ears several times. Horses are tough, but they are also incredibly sensitive.

Warrior
Like any protective “parent” I stomped on the ant with all my force, sending Dom into a spin. But the ant just bounced back, raised it fists and said ‘that all you got?’

Noel saves the day
Noel finished work and came over to see what was wrong.

“I’ve never seen you look so desolate!” 
I told him the story, showed him my war wounds.

At last some solace
Noel rode Dom and I led Charlie and we sauntered around our paddocks watching Ned enjoy his freedom on the stroll, no doubt with several bites smarting, like my fingers!

I'll be keeping a better eye out for Rantbo in the future!

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Follow us on FB to
    receive new blog posts 

    Further Reading

    Read more on our sailing, horse, barge and bike escapades here

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.