Jack Jumpers

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One thing that is guaranteed in the garden is that there'll be a jack jumper lurking, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. I seem to have a jack jumper radar and no matter what I am doing I stumble across them, either in a nest or out hunting.....probably for me.

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So a jack jumper is an ant. It's a good size but not the biggest ant I've seen. It's not even the biggest ant in our garden. The feature that makes them different to other ants is that their feelers and legs are orange.... how cute! Except they are not cute when they jump at you for daring to be in their way. And if I say it has one of the most painful bites I have ever had, it would be an understatement. I seem to have a tolerance now, but when we first moved here and I had my first encounter with this scourge of Tasmania... Well, after the initial sharp pain, the bite stung, then hardened, then itched, then festered over about 3 days - not pretty. Lindsay, big, tough Lindsay. Big, strong Lindsay disturbed a nest when he was mowing and the bites moved him to tears. Needless to say we both respect their right to privacy.

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The trouble is, the areas that I weed and cultivate seem to be the areas where they want to live. I will be weeding around some rocks when out will pop the telltale orange feelers. This is quickly followed by a frantic dance of running and jumping seeking out the villian who is daring to invade their territory. They are not shrinking violets. They are the Monty Python's black knight of the insect world. I'm sure they are yelling, 'Bring it on! I'll have you!' as they jump at the closest part of your exposed body and sink their jaws in. It's not an exaggeration to say that I am scared of them and will leave that area to weed another day when I disturb them. That, or I will do their dance in reverse. Eyeball the ant, pull a weed, jump back, watch for the reaction, and repeat.

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They are not my favourite inhabitants of our garden but they certainly seem to love living here. I can't even say we hold each other in mutual respect. I just stay out of their way!

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