Date : September 17, 2021
Turn an Egg Carton into Rocky The Bulldog Ant
In Tales from The Campfire, we are introduced to a character named Rocky, who is an untrained bulldog ant owned by Lilly Pilly.
The inspiration for Rocky is based on Australia’s largest ant, the bull ant.
It’s certainly not a pet most kids would keep on a lead, but these insects are recognised as one of the most spectacular ants in the world. Let’s find out why.
6 Interesting Facts About Bull Ants
- Bull ants use their mandibles to hunt for food and protect their colony if they feel threatened.
- Recognised for their sting, it’s not the large mandibles which cause pain to humans. The sting is located in a bull ant’s abdomen. They can sting multiple times like wasps.
- Some bull ants can jump up to 5 centimetres.
- Bull ants have large eyes and have exceptional eyesight.
- Winged male bull ants can pollinate flowers.
- They are 8mm to 40mm in size.
Now that we know a bit more about this interesting insect, let’s turn an egg carton into a bull ant.
Materials
- Egg carton
- Brown paint
- Paint brush
- Glue
- Pipe cleaners
- Scissors
- Googly eyes
Instructions
- Cut your egg carton 3 egg inserts long to create the bull ant’s body.
- Paint the body brown.
- Allow the ant body to dry.
- Once dry, glue eyes at the front to create a face.
- Use scissors to press a small incision in the top of the ant’s face for the mandibles.
- Repeat the same process in the body of the ant and feed through the black pipe cleaners for the ant’s 6 legs.
Other Insect Projects
Crafty Bec
Crafty Bec is here to help stimulate little imaginations and spark a creative flame in little people. Inspired by May Gibbs’ own passion for creative writing and art, Bec helps educators and mums to embrace nature inspired creativity.
https://www.theplumbette.com.au/
