Army of biting ants converges atop historic bell tower in Texas to mate, video shows
In a scene reminiscent of a biblical plague, an army of winged ants was seen scaling the walls of an historic Spanish mission in Texas, all scrambling in a mad race to reach a cross atop the bell tower.
It happened at the Mission Espiritu Santo in Goliad— a site dating to the 1750s — and involved red harvester ants from multiple colonies, Goliad State Park and Historic Site said in a July 1 Facebook post. The site is about 100 miles southeast of San Antonio.
The seemingly crazed ants were participating in something called “hilltopping,” a bizarre mating ritual in which winged ants — known as alates — prove their genetic worth by climbing, park officials said.
“To increase their chances of finding a mate, the red harvester ant alates go to the highest point around,” the park posted.
“At the mission, the highest point is the top of the bell tower of Mission Espiritu Santo. The ants gather at the very top ... and attempt to mate. Hilltopping only lasts for a day or two, then the males die.”
A minute-long video shared by the park shows the ants bubbling up from the foundation and working their way up the walls.
Thousands appeared to be involved, with the weakest tumbling to the ground and the strongest clustering in shaded spots atop the bell tower, the video showed.
The overwhelming number of ants seen on the walls was due to alates from multiple colonies showing up to compete against each other, the park said. In doing so, they “prevent inbreeding,” the park said.
Harvester ants are big, with workers growing to half an inch, and they “can bite and produce a painful sting” when put on the defensive, according to Texas A&M Agrilife Extension.
Social media reaction to the video was a mix of fascination and repulsion, with a few references to the “insect mile high club.”
“Why would (park officials) let them do this to the structure?” one person wrote in response to the Facebook post.
“Thanks for getting us off of the Ledge of Terror in case we witness this happening somewhere,” another responded.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 7:07 AM.