Antlion

Pits of Doom and Despair

Pit-trapping antlions (Myrmeleon immaculatus, family Myrmeleontidae) have long been one of my favorite insects. My fascination is shared with fellow antlion enthusiast, Ron Wilson (Natorp's Nursery Outlet & Landscaping, Mason, OH), who has had a thriving private stock of antlions in his home landscape for years. He always lets me know when pits appear meaning the antlions are starting to roar.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Anti-Ant Farms

Last season, I posted a BYGL Alert titled, “Antlions Roar Again!” [Sept. 25, 2020] in which I described finding a large group of pit-trapping antlions (Myrmeleon immaculatus, family Myrmeleontidae) in southwest Ohio. I lamented that the last time I saw a sizable collection of these fascinating sit-and-wait predators in Greater Cincinnati was in 2017.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Antlions Roar Again!

The last time I saw a sizable collection of pit-trapping antlions (Myrmeleon immaculatus, family Myrmeleontidae) in southwest Ohio was in 2017. The conical pits created by one of my favorite insects have been a rarity since then. That’s why I was thrilled to come across large numbers of pits today in Sharon Woods which is part of Great Parks of Hamilton County in the southwest part of the state.
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Authors
Joe Boggs

Antlions Are On the Hunt

Ron Wilson (Natorp's) shared an e-mail message with me this morning from a listener of his radio show about a strange insect that kept "trying to cover itself with dirt."  An ID didn't come to my mind … I claim because of a lack of coffee rather than an age-related issue.  Ron chided me by repeating the part about the insect trying to cover itself with dirt.  My last functional neuron fired and I realized the message was about one of our favorite insects:  antions (Myrmeleon immaculatus).

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Authors
Joe Boggs