Aninitas -- My Torturesome Enemy in Getting Forage

Hey buddies, Good day Saturday to all of you. Today let me tell you about my obstacles in getting and cutting down a branch of jackfruit for my farm animals.

Do you about Aninitas?
Have you climb a tree of a height like this?

This afternoon, I have successfully climb the tallest jackfruit I’ve ever climb just to get a thick full of leaves for my forage for my goats. But in the process, I must challenge the Aninitas – the red army ants.

Nah! Since the beginning I was carrying out the job of getting forage for my goats I have always encounter Aninitas. I am used to it. I can bear the pain of being bitten on my open skin. I even tried eating one long time ago. Yeah it tastes a little sweet. That’s why other people cook and eat it.

Aninitas or Army Ants are very known with their unique behavior when attacking prey. They attack in numbers and live in colony inside a ball of leaves. They do not march and get food like normal ants. They scatter and look for food individually but attacks in full entirety. They group themselves in few hundreds depending on the size of the leaf (colony) they create. They are the fastest climber type of ants for they have long legs with very strong grip. They are not venomous, not dangerous but very torturing.

This jackfruit tree territory of them has been long time untouched. Even the owner left its fruits due to the number of Aninitas that lives there. But I am not afraid of theses. As long as I do not disturb the colony. I can bear the pain for a few seconds but not when they start crawling on my hidden body parts. You better pray in the first place.

This tree is about a hundred meter up and situated on the mountain side. When hot summer hits, I always wanted to climb her but because of such large colony of Aninitas living around the area and especially up the tree, I decline on the eagerness to venture it. But Now when I have the power and strategy to fight them, I mightily proceed. First, I burn the bushes and grasses surrounding the tree and wait for the timing till the smoke covered most of the branches to activate the first warning (Haha!). Presto! they get hype up. I think as the smoke reaches their colonies up in the leaves, they started crawling to the nearby accessible tree to evacuate. From the initiation of the fire, approximately about 10 minutes till most of them moved out. Then I start climbing after seeing that the drone Aninitas are very few at the bark. I successfully reach to the widest and shadiest branch. But it can’t be avoided there are still some crawling around my feet and my arms. What I do is I just continue hitting the branch with my sharp bolo denying them biting me. Till I finally cut down the branch. Then I quickly climb down as fast as I can.

That’s it my friend my obstacles in getting a branch of forage hehe.
See you on my next blog. May Gob Bless as all. Remember we are all part of the food chain.
Love you guys.