Benign Beautiful Bugs: Antlions

Though their ferocious jaws and tricky traps have inspired fearsome fantasy beasts, antlions are amazing insects that pose no threat to you.

When we first moved in here, I noticed a bunch of holes spaced a few inches apart in a bunch of loose soil. They were underneath an overhang where the ground was kept mostly dry, though trails of ants criss-crossed the area. If you watch patiently, an ant would occasionally slip into one of the pits, which can easily spell their doom, because a fierce l…