Attas - The Great Escape!

[Jenny]

Chaos ensues at Chester Zoo as millions of South American leafcutter ants escape and attack the head vet.

Watch 5mins on into the film and again 22mins on at the end. This subject continues throughout the following programmes Chester Zoo Attas episode 5

Watch 18.50mins into the film Chester Zoo Attas Episode6

Senior keeper Richard attempts an unusual experiment involving a melon, a tea bag and eight million ants. Click on 11mins into the film...
Chester Zoo Attas chewing teabags Episode8

[TenebrousNova]

Those are naughtier than my Lasius niger.
I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, trying to round them all up.

[Wood~Ant]

The Chester Zoo colony looks a lot bigger than the one at Marwell, and the set up would make for some fantastic photos if you can see them openly foraging like the last video shows

[Wood~Ant]

Did anyone notice that the head vet Stephanie Sanderson called the soldier ant that bit her and drew blood a "He", when it is really an underdeveloped female, as are all worker ants, bees, hornets and wasps; so it should have been called a "She"

Naturally I have contacted Chester Zoo to ask about their Atta colony, as when I lived in Cheshire I used to visit this zoo, but that was over 40 years ago and they didn't keep ants back then, as keeping Leaf Cutter Ants is fairly new for zoo exhibits.
Chester is well worth a visit, both the zoo and the old Roman City for anyone who loves historical places, as many of the buildings are from the Tudor period dating back to the Roman Invasion of Britain