Primary reason for ant swarming is mating. Worker ants, which comprise the majority of the colony, are sterile and only perform manual labor. Winged ants, both male and female, are sexually mature. At certain times throughout the year, typically early spring and late summer, winged ants leave the colonies and form mating swarms. Ants often swarm over prominent landscapes, such as large trees or house chimneys. This phenomenon is known as “hilltopping.”

@andrerainville1582

10 ай бұрын

Do the grasshoppers know about this?

@VintageJunker

10 ай бұрын

That is a cool explanation of this bizzare insect behavior. Etymology is a fascinating study. Thanks for that insight.

@lakollner8751

10 ай бұрын

Thank you dude. Cool information !

@seanchadwick6182

10 ай бұрын

So stop watching you perverts!

@enchiladaguapo3869

10 ай бұрын

Nah fam, this is called a nuptial flight. It is where the ants are expanding their territory over the earth. The male and female pairing is correct they find a mate the male does his duty then dies and the newly impregnated female will turn to a queen upon finding a place to colonize. Sometimes they just fail but there are colonies all over those mountains and they fly to high places because it is a noticable area from all directions and greater the chances of meeting new genetically divers family groups.

24 people thumbed this video down, there is nothing bad about this video, just a man doing some honest work. if you dont find the video interesting go watch something else. dont be an ass and thumb down.

Is there an update on the guy caught on camera stealing from you?

@davestevens4263

10 ай бұрын

Let us know Allan. Inquiring minds want to know ! Lol thieves go straight to hell , do not collect $200

@seanchadwick6182

10 ай бұрын

Feed him to the ants

@wesman7837

10 ай бұрын

​@@seanchadwick6182I like that idea! Tie him to a pole, put some honey on him, and let the critters take care of him!

@Av-vd3wk

9 ай бұрын

Plot twist, it was Heavy D!

@itskarl79

8 ай бұрын

He looked more like Meth-D

That is one heck of a gate made out of railroad track!

Dude you got one hell of a project on your hands there building that fortress. It blows my mind.

@Adventureman188

10 ай бұрын

Seems like never ending up 🤔😎

@benmallahsstockbroker3752

10 ай бұрын

It should be finished just in time for the apocalypse of 2057

An old farmers remedy to ants is borax get a big bag of borax and just pepper the whole area with it. If that doesn’t work, get a secondhand surplus flamethrower.

@rboston33

10 ай бұрын

I can see Allan with the flame thrower.

@VE3UET

10 ай бұрын

Mix sugar and water in the borax and the ants will take it back and kill the colonies,

@MacGyver2154

10 ай бұрын

Flame throwers are so old school, get a DEW. Directed Energy Weapon like they used in Paridise, Ca and Maui.⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡☄🔥

@dorfsteen

10 ай бұрын

I don't know the Ants I'm running into have a lot of respect they only come in my house couple at a time steel cat food and leave they don't come in and massive piles and horde all over the cat food which is kind of respectful I think LOL. I don't mind dance and I don't kill them I mean if they overwhelmed me then I might have to do something about.

@mudrunner66

10 ай бұрын

I've been told gasoline in a garden sprayer works wonders on them. Keep it away from open flames.

At least the fortress is made of concrete and steel so the ants won't each much of it. I would recommend wearing covering when you weld. The UV light coming off is a lot stronger than anything you might get from the sun and that light is a know cause of skin cancer among long term welders. The skin damage is cumulative so each such exposure adds up. Good luck!

Go for it brother! Keep nickle & diming it Alan, the rabbit don't always come in first, besides it's not a race, just a Wisard doing his magic! 👍💪🤯✌️🤠

Just one Observation that I noticed? Your window metal shutters that’s made of metal ,I think you should’ve put your hinges on the inside ,they just have to cut off your hinges and pull off your metal shutters to get in. But it’s still an awesome build.

@johnb1895

6 ай бұрын

I think his Fortress Is more like a End of the world Bullet proof self sufficient building to fight people off, Maybe for Zombie Apocalypse LOL

Wow Alan you have accomplished so much on the Fortress since the first time I saw it when Heavy D and the gang visited it the first time. You are the hardest working, most determined, motivated person I have ever seen. I will be here watching your videos and celebrating the day the Fortress is completed! ❤️🙏

@cosmiccoyotedog-doreenb9605

10 ай бұрын

me too.

How about getting a helicopter pad cleared out and bbq area up top and I'm sure Dave and the crew would be dropping in to give you a hand now and then.

A tiger torch that another viewer mentioned is a great idea for clearing out work spaces.

Those shutters are a serious bit of kit Alan. keep up the great work and fantastic content. From New Zealand

Alan Love you to shout out to tradesmen volunteers to come and really get a shift on with the fortress, could do with scaffold on exterior, maybe the sparkes can come up and re-organise the compound , can you make a video each week and longer pls, show us the compound, all in all the Wizard has a great place which people would love to own.😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

They might be termites 🤷🏼‍♂️ But not to worry, the Fortress is made of brick and mortar 👍👍

Best things to fix ants that is not toxic is diotomatious earth in spots where it won't blow OR BORAX/BORON. BORAX won't blow like D.E. & is the better one to use in living quarters. Both are great for going down into cracks & they keep killing. The D.E. sticks to insects so they take it back to their nest & it eventually kills all. Both can be bought bulk in 55gal barrels & are safe for use in gardens with some knowledge & cautions you can learn on line.

They look like termites. Good job. I’m fascinated with your castle 🏰. 👌. 😊

Allan come on bro we need nice long videos from you , i know you can do it. Congrats on getting the shutters in.

Nice work on those shutters Allan.. it's awesome to see the next step beginning 👍🏻👍🏻 You need something similar to container door locks to hold pressure on them when they are shut. Even if only on one side, using that side to hold both closed. That way the handle can be low down, but the top and bottom can hold the shutters closed. Just a thought.. 👍🏻

An idea to cover that gap between the shutters is put a piece of flat stock on the edge of one shutter so that it overlaps the other when they are closed. Nice work. Love the project.

@imchris5000

10 ай бұрын

having a removable strip is a massive defensive advantage its just like an arrow slit you can pie all kinds of angles with just an inch of crack open

Little napalm or agent orange…. Those ants are no longer a problem. Dave does a little fly by in the Black Hawk great content

You only need access to the horizontal handle through the lower window. Weld the handle to a vertical rod, at right angles. Lastly, weld your locking mechanism in place on the rod at the the top,, middle and bottom. All is controlled by the single handle.

Love from Portugal! Godbless you man! You do amazing things! 🤩

Alan, get yourself some Boric Acid, make up a solution and spray the ants. This works well, at least here in South Carolina. It's great to see more and more progress on the fortress!

I love watching the Wizard he is so intelligent !

You sir are awesome.❤

One of the most exciting and outright unbelievable days of fishing I ever had was during a flying ant hatch/ swarm. I haven't seen a bug hatch like that ever since.

With all the cool vehicles you have down below, you should build either a rack or funicular railway up the side of the mountain!

@FearsomeWarrior

10 ай бұрын

Funicular is a fun new word. Thank you.

❤❤Alan, for additional security, on the shutters, weld a cleat on the upper inside to prevent the shutters from being lifted out of the hinges and removed when they are closed. 😊

I hope you now finally can have a room in the fortress. With glass, heating, water and a bed.

@menow7851

10 ай бұрын

Have you seen his interior basement workshop? He's OK. Todays shutters are for his utility room of circuitry for this fortress. Solar conversion equipment, etc.

@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur

10 ай бұрын

@@menow7851 No I have not.

0:53 I know very little about ats, BUT we have ones that look JUST like that in Canada.. Once a year they all magically appear out of the ground by the thousands or tens of thousands ... and eventually fly way. No ideas why or what, but it seems like the same kind.

Alan, Adjust your shutters by grinding the mating surfaces of the barrel receiving the pin or shimming between with washers. Easy fix. Coming along nicely, can't wait to see it weather tight. I got to the end and was thinking, you can buy commercially available steel frames for block walls. Is it worth fabricating them. Then Alan was explaining how the break wouldn't bend that much metal. Alan is using much heavier steel, more structural. Now I'm really curious to see what he does for a door after the half inch plate shutters.

Alan, you're a very hard-working man. I love watching as you work on the Fortress. Keep Smiling. Stay Safe. God Bless You! ❤🙏

Good to see you got the shutters put up. You're a hard ass worker and you're doing a great job. Plus your production of your videos are very good along with the soundtrack

Latching the shutters... Use a "U" shaped piece on the inside of each shutter (inside when closed), then use a castle barricade piece to set in there. This way, they stay shut, but also, when they are open, you can use a longer one to keep them open so they don't blow around in the wind.

@AdventurousJohn

10 ай бұрын

@Mtn_FortressLabs reach out to a channel that misspells the name of this channel? to a channel that has no posts? and using telegram? (an app primarily used by scammers?) WHY? Why would I do that?

Alan, I always look forward to a video on the fortress, and it's great to see you making progress

Wow! Man against Nature, for sure, Ant City. Would have never thought? Those guys are like a swarm of Locus. Good luck with the projects, looking good!

I’ve never seen flying ants here in eastern WA State. We do have flying spiders. They don’t have wings but they let out a long stand of spider silk and the wind blows them all around.

@BitterDemo

10 ай бұрын

THE FLYIING SPIDER COMES IN ON WIND CURRENTS FROM AUSTRAILIA. I STUDIED THAT WHEN i WAS AN ARBORIST.

@imchris5000

10 ай бұрын

most parts of the country the ants fly in early june in the areas that dont really have much of a winter they might have 2-3 flights a year. its why fire ants are able to take over so much because they are from a tropical place and have dozens of flights a year starting new nest

Looking good Alan thanks for the update 👍🇺🇸

You are just a hard working man🎉👏👏🇺🇸🇸🇰

Alan your like a modern day Egyptian pyramid builder 👍🏽

Shutters look great installed. Can’t wait to see what you do next Al .

Oh also for the flyants. I as a kid lived in the tropical mts of Puerto Rico my ma would lite up this incense that looked circular like electric stove top and the smoke would deter them away..❤

Watching ATV roll, common sense tells you to tires, not something that will dig in, thats why your the Wizard. You have a good mind.

Always fun to see what you are up to Allen!!

What a huge project. Great work alan

Lol the good ol flame thrower might work great 😁

You're doing a great job, be safe out there!

Alan , fly sticky strips work wonders for non poison control. Just hang them at night when the ants are not swarming.

@MD4564

10 ай бұрын

There is gotta be a better solution than replaceable strips though.

@mfree80286

10 ай бұрын

@@MD4564 An incandescent bulb over a pan of transmission or power steering fluid works like you wouldn't believe. ANYTHING attracted to light or heat ends up in the pan, and eventually anything attracted to what's in the pan as well. Why trans/PS fluid? It doesn't dry out like soapy water or vinegar, has very little surface tension while being somewhat viscous (meaning they touch it and get stuck), and additives have a little bit of a sweetish odor from glycols that attract more bugs. It's the 'better living through chemistry' version of the old trick where you float a candle in a dish of soapy water. For the ants... borax and honey, will do. Or malathion, carbamate, pyrethrins, or I think I recall ants over a certain size will die if fed cornmeal or some other ground grain that swells and absorbs water.

@als8518

10 ай бұрын

no reason to. the swarming ants are moving on, they wont stick around.

Alan I like the fact you stick weld a lot of your projects. I learned to all position stick weld when my father got me a job with him in a fabrication shop when I was 20. I used a stick to weld everything at home, even sheet metal until I was 42 and bought a mig, using a mig at work and owning one is a game changer. Awesome content as always, and I hope you get the ants under control, as they can be a propety damaging pain in the butt.

Dang bro those flying ants can drive a man mad. I wonder if they’re the same ones I get here on my hobby ranch in Ontario Canada? Do they bite? Ya man I’d be working inside away from those little buggars. Great to see your progress Alan. The mountain fortress is coming along & all by yourself too, pretty impressive Alan👍. Love your vids bud pls keep rocking.

My Dad was a welder, I still look away while you are welding 😂He was a jack of all trades too.

You have a lot going on at the Hill. Keep up the good work.

Here on the islands, when insects come out by the loads, it's usually before we get an earthquake. Hope, it's different for you. Have a great week.

I would just use some magnet hooks for those shutters until you get the sashes in.

@Hetpust

10 ай бұрын

thinking magnets too...short term

Lovin it! Looks like 2 huge projects: the castle (how many years to finish?) and the scrapyard around the mountain. I'd suggest you start thinking about time. How much do you want finish for yourself and what's your legacy gonna be? You can't do both by yourself and none of us are getting any younger.

I really enjoy your videos it is cool to see the passion you have for your projects. Keep up the awesome work.

Hey Allen it's wise to put your ground on the welder closer to the area you are going to weld and once you have the first weld done then you will be ok to weld the rest of the window frame because of the connection you created on the first weld!!!😊😊😊

Hey. Hello there. They might be termites, keep an eye out on your lumber!!! Love all the videos. 😊😊 need more!!

In Australia flying ants means rain is coming. Not sure why but it's true they know before it rains.

Good to see you again Alan

Im loving your content, Wizard! You're a legend of a man.

lets go sorcerer 🧙‍♀🧙‍♀🧙‍♂🧙‍♂ allways amazing video , waching you the first time from heavy D when there was a fire. sorry for my bad english i am a french canadian in quebec. i will watch every video , want to see it all the way to the finish of the fortress. good luck!!

Thanks for your time making the video watching from Reno NV

Al don't give the gov any reason to believe that you are in Waco Texas keep up the amazing work and Dave is lucky to have a great friend as you brother SEMPER FI Brother Bear 🎉🎉🎉

Awesome they look great 👍😎

Glad to see some progress on the fortress

I was out in Casper WY a few weeks ago and went to visit a piece of property with a friend who was in the middle of buying it. Parked my truck out in this open high desert 2 track and got in his truck to be shown around. When we came back to my truck it was completely covered inside and out with these flying ants. I've never even seen anything like them in the middle Midwest. I had to put a rain suit, gloves and goggles on just to get in my truck and drive it.

Alan, I am curious. I haven’t watched all of your videos, but have you made anymore progress on the tunnel you started ? Just curious. Please keep us updated on it as well as the rest of the fortress. I hope you are going to build a large garage with a large air compressor and over head hoist.

I can relate to your ant issue, the ants invalid my house ever year.

Looks Awesome 👍🏼

It would be quite a time saver if you could find your window latches pre-made and just weld them in place. Not your personal touch but we would like to see you living in the fortress before we depart. 😁

Great Job my friend! 🙏🏻👍

Cool channel. Lots of new stuff to watch.

What colour curtains are you going with 😂 great update Sir

An astragal. The strip that closes up a pair of doors. It’s a fun word.

You are a magician. It’s amazing how talented you are. CMAC82

Allen, you have enough subscribers to ask Harbor freight for some sponsorship 😉

Maybe weld a temporary handle or 2 on the shutter to make it easier to install

I learned about nuptial flights from Ants Canada. He’d be in heaven right now 😂

Alan, you possess some amazing skills, the moniker 'Mr. Wizard' is damn accurate. Best.

Thumbs up 👍 keep it coming and thank you!

Great job ,wow tons of ants yuk ,be safe and hugs from MN

Really good job so far Alan 👏 What is your vision plan for the windows? Glass or no glass and would you really need glass windows in that area? I think the way for made the window frames would also work for the door frames, split sections top and bottom and welded together. ❤

You are very talented!

Looking great 👍

'Maidens Room' - I laughed my bollocks off on that 1, thanks.

Kool place Alan!!

find something to get rid of your flying ants they look more like termites here in Ohio not sure about that far west but need to get them gone before they get a good start of a mound around the fortress before they go back under ground ... your doing a great job on the fortress for a one man job keep up the good work thinks for bringing us along

Wow what a project. !!!

Great job

The ants get wings so they can find mates to help them produce baby ants. Next year in mating season you will have more ants unless you can find where they laid their eggs and eliminate them.

Could make double latches out of thick strap steel. One top and bottom with a linkage between so the bottom would have the handle that operates both👍

Would you mind if I brought a flame thrower over there and took care of those ants for you? I'm just on the other side of the hill from you! :)

go Wizzard be safe and when the ants are done swarming and mating and fighting it will all be normal again god bless

You need high altitude frogs!

Yo Al use for the window gap, rubber gasket type like on blast doors to keep al sorts of any particles to from penetrating ❤

That's when I would bring out the big torch propane flamethrower lol for that ant problem

Awesome, Alan!

Diatomaceous earth works well on ants. It takes multiple applications, but it works. Kid, pet and plant safe. Nontoxic.😊