Random Ramblings: Ants!!

This weekend, by chance I turned over quite a large stone and underneath it lay an ants nest. This is the first time that I have encountered three different stages of ants eggs visible at the same time. There were those very recently laid, ones that had been laid a few days earlier and finally ones that looked as though they were near to hatching. When an ants nest has been disturbed, ants always collect their eggs and take them to a place of safety. I don't know what I expected to see but was amazed that every available ant began to cart away the eggs that were near to hatching. Not one ant showed the slightest interest in the younger eggs. Eventually, however, all of the ant eggs were carefully removed from their exposed place on the surface of the mud and taken into one or other of the various tunnels that had been carved out of the earth. The one thing that I did notice about this particular ant colony was the fact that it moved much more slowly than previous ant colonies I have witnessed. Usually, ants appear to almost scurry at a fair speed if part of their nest is disturbed. These ants however were totally lethargic almost as though they had been sedated. There was not the usual sense of urgency about them. I found their slowness most unusual and completely out of character for this little insect.