July 16th   Smaller picture

23. The Ant and the Larva
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I'm lying basking by the water, when I see this ant carrying a larva. This is not any regular ant: it's 2-3 cm in length and it has wings. The larva has the same length as the ant, but is thicker. The ant makes a hole in the ground where it buries the larva. It flies along the ground until it fits a small stone of the right size, which it puts on the top of the hole. I hear a buzz as it is somehow closing the hole, so eventually that there is no trace of it. When it's done, the ant flies away.