Hundreds of bugs form a slithering ‘snake’ to scare off predators in skin-crawling close-up footage
- The larvae were seen crawling on temple ground in Ciang Mai, northern Thailand
- In the clip, the bugs can be seen crawling over each other in a ‘snake’ formation
- It is a process which can maximise the speed of the swarm or evade predators
This is the fascinating moment hundreds of bugs showed their strength in numbers by forming a long chain to evade predators.
Buddhist priest Somchai Auarun saw the larvae crawling together on the temple ground in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.
Somchai Auarun said: ‘I was fascinated when I saw them. The way that they were moving together was amazing.
‘They carried on for a few more minutes like that. Nature is so smart.’
In the clip, the larvae club together to appear bigger and evade predators while looking for food. Larvae generally measure as less than a quarter of an inch (6mm) individually.
The larger appearance deceives would-be attackers who are then intimidated by the slow-moving mass.
The larvae can be seen crawling all over each other which is a process used to maximise the speed of the entire swarm.
The larvae were seen crawling together on the temple ground in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, as they club together to appear bigger and evade predators
Depending on how many layers, it can help the group move nearly twice as fast as an individual can.
The insects could be dark-winged fungus gnat larvae, which are also known to move in this ‘snake-like’ mass and are around 6.35mm long.
Some have identified the larvae as Asian rice gall midges (Orseolia Oryzae) which are a species of small flying bugs.
They normally damage the crops, affecting most rice plants to have stunted and undeveloped stalks.