Forest ranger Frans Kapteijns shares his knowledge about nature every week. Anyone can submit questions via [email protected]. This time Frans pays attention to, among other things, a march for coots, nearby storks, ants and a beautiful winter phenomenon. Part two of this Stuifmail will be published on Sunday morning.
What kind of ants are these and how do I get rid of them?
Alice Erkel has been bothered by ants on the ground floor for more than six months. She wonders which species it is and how she can combat it. Well, without a photo it is difficult to say exactly which ant species it is, but the most common species around houses in the Netherlands is the black-brown road ant (see the photo above). Other species that seek out homes include the glossy carpenter ant (see photo below), the brown ant and the large yellow meadow ant.
All these species like to nest under sidewalks, tiles, tiled terraces or in cavity walls. They are attracted to food and water in and around houses, making these also suitable nesting sites. There are sweets – sugars and proteins – everywhere in our environment because we leave a lot of food lying around, including on the street. As a result, there is an abundance of food for the ants in the neighborhoods. In addition, they also find food easily in kitchens and pantries, where everything is often open and exposed. Not in all houses, but in many houses.
In recent years, many ants have come to our side from warmer regions. These species like to look for warm places in, near and in houses. Large terraces with large tiles are ideal for them, because tropical temperatures can develop under those tiles.
Alice also asked how you can keep ants out of your home environment. First of all, by ensuring that there is as little nesting space as possible. This can be done, for example, by ‘de-tiling’ or ‘de-stoning’ your garden. In addition, make sure that all your food is properly stored, especially sweets, in closed containers or canisters.
Look carefully at where the ants are coming in and close those cracks and holes. A clean house also helps against ants: no crumbs on the floor, no open trash cans and no uncovered food. Pet bowls attract ants, so clean them up immediately after eating.
During dry periods, ants are also looking for water. Therefore, check for leaking taps, damp toilets or bathrooms. Also consider pet drinking bowls, as these attract ants.
Silent journey for the coot in Gilze and Rijen
During the breeding season in the spring of 2025, dredging work was carried out on behalf of the municipality of Gilze en Rijen in a lake where coots with chicks nested. The nests were destroyed. To draw attention to this, a silent procession will be held on Sunday, March 1 from 3:00 PM from Wilhelminaplein to the lake.
Storks in the area for two weeks now
Tineke van der Zanden has been seeing two storks spending the night for a week and wonders whether these birds are staying here to build a nest or whether they are still moving on. Usually storks first return to last year’s nest. If there is no nest nearby, there is a good chance that they will fly further. Males arrive first, in late February, followed by females, often shortly afterwards. Upon arrival you will notice this by intense beak chattering and later by mating. Eggs are laid in April.
Basically, the male and female stork return to last year’s nest. The males arrive first, usually at the end of February, from the south. The storks that Tineke sees may therefore both be males. These males have last year’s nest as their destination, claim it if necessary and repair the nest. The females arrive shortly after the males, often in late February, but certainly in March.
When they arrive, you will immediately notice the loud beak chattering! The pair is then together again and usually mating takes place immediately. The eggs are laid in April. Occasionally new couples also build new nests, but there must be sufficiently high places available for this. In Tineke’s case, it is likely that the males fly even further. However, if nest building takes place in her area, we would like to hear about it at Omroep Brabant.
This was in my conifer hedge, what could it be?
Piet Verhagen saw something in his conifer hedge (a thuja hedge) and wanted to know what it was. In the photo you can see something yellowish in a twig. It turns out to be a yellow cocoon of a spider, probably a cross spider.
This cocoon contains the eggs of the cross spider. The female makes such an egg sac in the autumn as protective silk, so that the eggs can safely survive the winter.
Such egg sacs look like fluffy, woolly balls of yellowish-white or yellowish silk. The cocoons contain hundreds of small eggs, usually orange or yellow in color. The females of the cross spiders then look for sheltered and hidden places to lay the cocoons there. Beautiful places are seams and cracks in houses, hedges or fences, but also between leaves or under the bark of – especially dead – trees.
The eggs hatch after winter, usually around May. Immediately afterwards, the small yellow spiders often form a dense clump. When disturbed, they scatter in all directions, only to come back together later.
If you find such an egg sac, it is best to leave it in place or hang it. The cross spiders that hatch in May are useful insectivores for your garden.
Is it true that this is ice hair, in the Eifel?
Jos Smolders spent a week in the Eifel, just in time to see ice hair there. His 80-year-old parents, loyal Omroep Brabant Stuifmail fans, tipped him to forward the photos. In one of the photos, ice hair, also known as King Winter’s beard, is clearly visible.
This beautiful winter phenomenon consists of long, white, thin, silky ice threads that form in or on a branch or trunk. You most often see ice hair on dead wood of deciduous trees, especially oak and beech. The wood must be wet and dead, because a special fungus lives in it: the pink-blue wax crust. This fungus performs metabolism and secretes water. Because there is too much water to stay in the trunk, it is squeezed out through small openings.
When there is a gentle freeze and the humidity is high – so that the water does not evaporate – the water freezes immediately and ice hair forms. As long as the fungus continues to produce water and conditions remain good, the ice hair can continue to grow. If the frost is too hard, the metabolism stops and the process stops immediately.
Who lives in an ant nest?
If you stand on an ant nest, it will be crawling with ants. But who actually lives in an ant nest underground?
The above video is from the episode ‘Ants’ of Het Klokhuis. Ants are as old as dinosaurs and live everywhere on the planet except the poles. There are approximately 13,000 different species. They live in a colony, in which each ant has its own task.
In the episode, Pascal looks at the building of a colony together with ant specialist Tim and learns how to make an ant nest yourself.
