In the Garden of Good and Evil (not just at midnight)

The garden is good for my soul, my well being and my health. The never ending need to tame the garden is a great exercise regime. Mugrat’s garden is also great for the wildlife too, they love it here.

But in this little piece of paradise, evil lurks. It can be found in every corner, lying in wait for the unsuspecting gardener. You may pause to admire a beautiful shrub, or push a branch out of the way. You might just be innocently standing on the grass, enjoying the view, and evil will strike.

Evil will take the form of an ant, not a particularly big ant, but boy is it aggressive! Tasmania is the domain of the Jack Jumpers. They’ve even named the state basketball team after them. It’s like worshipping satan.

When we moved here we knew we were moving away from funnel webs and most species of snakes. So when people told us to watch out for the ants, we were underwhelmed. So Jack Jumpers get their name from the fact that when they attack they jump. No big deal, so you get bitten on the leg instead of the foot. Except it is a big deal because when they bite, they bloody hurt. Not hurt like you stubbed your toe. Hurt like you’ve dropped a concrete slab on it. It didn’t take us long to have a healthy respect for these evil creatures.

Of course with my sensitive reaction to anything that stings, we just accepted that they were a bit nasty. But when 2 bites brought tears to Ruprecht’s eyes, we started to see them in a new light.

My first few encounters with these little darlings were extreme. First the breathtaking sting was quickly followed by a persistently annoying itch. A delightful lump followed that would abcess and weep. Thankfully I’ve built up an immunity and now just have the pain and the itch.

So what’s the big deal? Not so evil you might say. Our visiting tiger snake was perhaps more of a threat. But the thing is jjs seem to have developed the knack of seeking me out just to bite me.

When I’m weeding I accept that I might come across a nest and they are not going to be happy. But recently I will be minding my own business, enjoying the day, and kapow! ant bite! We watch them walk across the deck on a quest to find me, or make a bee line (ant line?) to where I am gardening. I managed to stand right in the middle of a nest when I stopped briefly to chat to Ruprecht. Two and a half acres of land and I managed to find a nest.

I guess the final straw was the other day. A jj managed to find its way inside. It was walking across the coffee table, right next to me. Ruprecht donned his hero cape, pounced and squashed it. (We don’t generally kill bugs but there has to be exceptions) Watching TV and kapow! ant bite on the neck. jj had resurrected itself just to fulfill its mission.

I’m not sure why they hate me so much, but it’s bordering on a religious pilgrimage for them. Anyway, I must stop writing now. I can see their tiny red feelers quivering with excitement as they crawl across my page.

Courtesy of Dept of Natural Resources and Environment, Tasmania….

Jack jumpers (also known as jumper ants, hopper ants, jumping jacks) are medium sized

ants, 8-10mm long with a black body but pale jaws and legs. They can jump 10cm repeatedly when defending themselves. They are related to the larger, less aggressive and less active

inchman ants which are 3cm long.There are many species of both jack jumpers

and inchman ants in Australia . However, some members of the small Tasmanian fauna (M.

pilosula and its close relatives) have achieved notoriety because of their sting and, more importantly, the allergic reaction some people have to their stings (see below). It is worth

noting that some mainland species can also cause severe allergic reactions.