Hundreds of bugs form a slithering ‘snake’ to scare off predators in skin-crawling close-up footage
- The larvae were seen crawling near a temple in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand
- Footage shows the bugs can crawling over each other in a ‘snake’ formation
- The swarm maximises the speed of the bugs and helps them evade predators
This is the fascinating moment hundreds of bugs use strength in numbers to form a long chain and evade predators.
Buddhist priest Somchai Auarun saw the larvae crawling together on 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.
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. These larvae grow up to 5mm in length.
They normally damage the crops, affecting most rice plants to have stunted and undeveloped stalks.