Today the Governement sent in agents to launch a recon mission in my end of the street/creek and my yard. Their mission was to seek (and if necessary, destroy) a foreign invader - The Evil Electric Ant. 

In January, an infestation of these native South American Ants was discovered a few hundred metres away in the resort grounds across the bush from my house. They are not a friendly insect to stumble upon. These ants inject painful venom when they sting, they specifically attack the eyeballs of other animals, including pets, and can blind them. They attack birds and nestlings and farm scale insects. Bad for crops. All round nasty guys.

All week the DPI guys and girls have been laying baits to see if any had spread to our streeet and homes. Today was my turn.

That’s Steve checking bait traps on the banks of Deadman’s Gully. You can see the little pink ribbons where he laid traps inside my front fence.

About 2 dozen baits were laid around my yard, including the herb pots. The Electric ants are gourmets. They will only go for the expensive Don Sausage.

Steve checking the baits after an hour. He was such a knowledgable guy. We yakked for ages about the wonderful biodiversity of this area. He checked out a few insect species for me, as well as my tadpole ponds, which he’s hopeful are NOT canetoads.

This man has spent many years researching wild lion prides in South Africa. He says it’s was an amazing, sometimes heartbreaking, experience. To be checking for ants is quite a bit less stressful than facing a poacher with a semi-automatic machine gun!

We got the all clear - no baddies on our block.

Here is some info from their site:

The electric ant is golden brown in colour and 1 - 1.5mm in length

Overview

Scientific name	Wasmannia auropunctata

Description

Electric ants:

• Are tiny, about 1.5mm long
• Are light to golden brown in colour all over
• Are usually slow moving 
• Are social - they like to be with each other, often in heaps
• Do not have nests - electric ants establish colonies anywhere and have been found under stones, in garden waste, leaf mould, soil, trees, swimming pools and water courses, and may be in wall cavities, clothing, bedding or camping gear
• Can be found in wet or dry conditions
• Like water - they may ´jump´ into swimming pools and form a ´raft´

OriginThe electric ant is native to Central and South America. These ants have a significant invasive history, having been introduced to Africa, North America and six Pacific Island groups (including the Galapagos, Hawaii, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands).    Human health Its impact is similar to that of the red imported fire ant, in that it injects a powerful venom when it stings. The sting results in painful, itchy and persistent pimples, and sometimes in severe allergic reactions.  ImpactThe principle effect of the electric ant is on the environment and humans. Electric ants are generalist feeders, which mean they feed 24 hours a day in most weather conditions. A large proportion of their diet is from honeydew from scale insects which they farm, creating an agricultural nuisance. Electric ants can cause declines in the numbers of invertebrates and small vertebrates, and compete with other ant species within the affected area, particularly if infestation levels are heavy.Electric ants make up 90% of ant populations in invaded catchments in New Caledonia. They are believed to have caused a decrease in reptile populations in New Caledonia and in the Galapagos Archipelago where they eat tortoise hatchlings and attack the eyes and cloacae of adult tortoises.In human habitations the ants may sting and even blind domestic pets (cats and dogs). Electric ants do not sting en masse like red imported fire ants, but will sting when they come in contact with people, such as in gardens or in water in swimming pools. Their sting is very painful at first, and can last - with itching - for up to three days. Foraging trails may enter houses.In agricultural and residential areas, the electric ant may be a great nuisance to humans by reaching high densities and stinging people working in the field as well as in and around their homes. Mode of spread As a tramp ant, this species is closely associated with people and is spread by people. Most international spread is associated with plants, plant materials and products or edible commodities. Electric ants have previously been intercepted accompanying air passengers carrying plant material, mats or woven baskets. Once established the species is estimated to spread on average 170m per year by budding, which means new colonies radiate out from existing colonies. This species is not known to spread by flight.

 

For more info from their site click here. 

      

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine’s Day on Saturday. We enjoyed a sumptuous brekkie by a lake near Trinity Beach. The iced cranberry juice was delicious.

There was however, a plague of toadlets to navigate. They were everywhere. Even the restaurant owner was perplexed by their sheer numbers. Thousands and thousands of them underfoot.

This photo was AFTER they had cleared the path. They were tiny, about the size of your little finger nail. Jeff said that was nothing, some of his greens were black with them.  Some didn’t get out of the way of cars or feet in time.

Slow toadlet on the left.

Another species out in huge numbers were the Rainbow Bee Eaters, strung out like pearls on a necklace There must have been  a couple of hundred of them at Trinity. Repeat the photo below across 5 lengths of telegraph line and you can imagine what they looked and sounded like.

It was like a Blue Light Disco of the air.

No, it’s not this beautiful girl. She was newly “hatched” yesterday evening, with wings drying out, and happy to be photographed. She was quite an uplifting sight after the sadness of the past few days, so I thought I’d share her.

This is my new Bouncer:

When my face, nor the dog’s, scared my 3.45am visitor, I resorted to desperate measures.

 

‘Cos when you gotta go, he’s gotta go!

And he did just that, back up the S Bend, after seeing the Cat.

Does anyone else have to face such Toilet Anxiety?

Another day of highs and lows for the country. Triumphs, no matter how small, are good for mind and spirit.

Seeing the fireman hold his waterbottle to ”Sam” the koala’s mouth was quite emotional. Apparently she’s made the New York and London Times news.The RSPCA and vets  are on hand at the site now to render assistance to those that cannot speak for themselves. Wildlife volunteers have a list of missing pets, and are combing the streets in search of them. Burnt horses, geese, goats, wallabies, kangaroos and koalas are all receiving gentle care. They even found a peacock in a toilet block!

Great to see so many people rally with goods/food (even hot pizzas!), sharing what they have with those that now have nothing. “Mateship” at it’s best.

Another triumph was the opening of the Highway up to the North today. 500 trucks are making their way up here to restock shelves. “Creative cooking” with limited ingredients will be over soon! I hope they hurry, more heavy rain to the south is bucketing as we speak.

“Phasmids” - sounds exotic doesn’t it? It harks back to the Greek word meaning apparition or ghost. Pretty accurate for these critters, commonly known as Stick Insects. These guys can sway in the breeze like a twig, brilliantly disguised so that they are virtually invisible. It’s only when they venture onto man-made territority that they magically appear.

Well, until our move to the Tropics, I never realised they existed in such sizes or quantities. See if you can spot a couple of the smaller ones in the photo below:

                                     

                        Here’s a closer shot:

                                     

                              Then there was Big Mama…

                                 

                    …who happily wandered around my desk…

                            

                                            …over my materials….

                         

         …over my painting (that’s one of her many eggs that she laid)…

                

…making acquaintances along the way.

Time to spread her wings, although she can’t fly with those (which were very impressive when fully spread).

                      

         To finally find a place where she can hang upside down in comfort.

                 

                                A perfect place for me to sketch her!

              Future Phasmids below:

All these guys appeared at our windows in the evening, trying to get inside. I knew our early morning visitor (below) would like a tasty brekkies of Phasmid, so I brought them in for a resort break overnight. All the Eucalyptus they could ”poke a stick at” was supplied.

Poor Kookie waits outside my kitchen window until treats magically appear. She thanked me by shaking off all that water over my face.

This was Jez earlier with another Phasmid friend (from the same house that brought you the enormous Golden Orb Weaver Spider from a couple of posts back - they breed ‘em big in the rainforest).

It’s raining raining raining still. We’re cut off now (at Cardwell), with the rivers bursting their banks and flooding towns like Ingham. Townsville has copped a hammering as well. On the 6 o’clock news tonight they showed a crocodile that had been run over on one of Townsville’s main roads:

Run over croc recovers in Townsville bathroom

A wildlife carer in north Queensland is sharing her bathroom with a 1.6 metre crocodile run over by a car in Townsville early this morning.

Lana Allcroft from North Queensland Wildlife Care says the reptile has a sore eye, some gravel rash and is missing a couple of teeth.

She says the injured croc has not been as snappy as most people would expect.

“We keep a towel over his head to keep the stress level down for him,” she said.

“We had to move him out of the bathroom this morning so we could have a shower and he wasn’t real impressed with that, got a bit feisty.

“Also when we had him in the car bringing him home last night he was a bit upset, but once he’s in a place and his head’s covered he’s fine and he’s nice and calm and quiet.”

The croc will be collected by rangers later today.

Flooding and torrential rain in the north is creating hazards for other wildlife too.

Eleanor Pollock has an injured turtle in her laundry tub.

“He was run over going from one puddle to the other on the side of the road,” she said.

Mrs Pollock says carers are also looking after sodden baby possums separated from their mothers, and tiny birds whose nests have been washed away by the rain.

story courtesy ABC news.

There’s plenty of rain to come yet, and even the return of the cyclone of Thursday.

This was my mountain this morning. Still visible, with low clouds sliding down it’s sides.

The same mountain this evening, obscured by thick curtains of water soaking everything to the core.

The frogs have never been happier!

If you were in Mission Beach in the last 24 hours, you’d be exceedingly damp. Cyclone Ellie dumped over 400mm (that’s 16 inches) in parts of the Tropics up here. Thankfully in Cairns we only got a bit of puff, with just mess, not damage. Children everywhere were bitterly disappointed, with school back on the agenda!

Ellie is now just a Tropical Low, heading west towards Ingham, but there is talk of her reforming. Sounds like a delinquent cyclone!

Lots of new things that are fond of the damp are springing up everywhere. Besides the mushrooms, we have been inundated tonight with not 1, but 3 phasmids trying to get in our windows. The dog has taken to herding them like sheep. Details tomorrow!

Officially.

Today it was announced that the Type 3 Dengue Fever has now reached epidemic proportions in Cairns, with over 160 cases reported. The worst outbreak since before WWII. This mosquito-borne disease has put people in hospital and can even be fatal.

Fantastic. Yet another thing that can kill you here in this Tropical Paradise. And wouldn’t you know it, our suburb has been named as one of the Hot Spots.

Loads more rain in the past 24 hours. Enough to erode away a rather large puddle straight outside my studio door. A Cane Toad has taken up residence in it and is refusing to budge.

 

The puddle was caused by a hole in the guttering. Upon closer inspection, this is what I discovered:

Amethystine Python’s change room. The other half of the shed skin was stuck in the downpipe.

Just delightful.

Imagine a love bite so hard it lifts the skin right off your neck?

Here’s the wide screen view:

At least she’s moulting, or that would’ve left one hell’uva hickey!

I’m convinced the Asian House Geckoes perform a different caberet show outside my computer window every evening for my benefit. I’m watching one right now trying to devour a moth he’s caught which is about 3 times his width……almost…..yes, he’s done it! And now he’s stalking a huge flying ant. Gecko Gluttony!

It’s raining heavily again tonight, and the frog chorus are simply delighted.

Sorry no post last night. As wild thunderstorms raged directly overhead, rattling windows and walls, I thought it prudent to switch the Infernal Machine off. On the telly tonight they showed a metre thick diameter concrete & steel power pole snapped off at the base from a local lightening strike. Youch!

Remember the sad tale of my bent over bananas recently? Well, cause for celebration, another tree is now flying the banana republic flag!

I can taste the Chocolate Banana Sundaes already….

…your photos make it into the weekly magazines.

And you know you’ve really made it if one of them is a booby magazine.

Because we all know that big boobs and pythons go hand in hand.

(Please excuse my tongue-in-cheekiness!)

Too many late nights of late -school holidays are a bad influence. Lots of reading getting done though - till 2am this morning. Feeling so inspired by images and stories of artists, craftspeople and those who make a living from the land. My eyes are going out in protest though - focusing now requires a lot of effort!

Lots of thunder and sheet lightening blanketing the night sky -awesome!