Yard work: the ants moved

Self-tutoring about ants: the tutor mentions how one colony moved.

Maybe six years ago, a large ant hill appeared in the back yard. I don’t think I noticed it until the end of summer; I’d been gone some weeks. Yet, there it was, and big: maybe two feet across and one foot high. It seems they were thatching ants.

I’ve read that thatching ants are beneficial, and decided to leave them be. As late as last summer, their large nest bustled with activity. Yet, today, it’s deserted.

It’s true that, in the fall, crows and pileated woodpeckers attacked the ant hill on numerous occasions, digging deep holes into it. However, I imagine there were 10,000 or more ants therein; I can’t imagine any significant damage caused by the birds.

Apparently, ants are known to move – it’s suspected they do so because of predators or environmental strain.

I wonder where that colony is now?