myrmepropagandist on Nostr: Ants move soil in a variety of ways. Larger ants use structures on their front legs, ...

Ants move soil in a variety of ways. Larger ants use structures on their front legs, and hairs (Seta) under their mandibles called a psammophore. A basket like structure.

But, sometimes very small ants literally move a single grain of sand at a time. This seems like a disadvantage until you consider the extreme level of control this gives them over the ultimate structure of the nest.

Just as a stone field wall is packed rocks, their nest walls are carefully arraigned grains of sand.