Is this the cone that ant lions make?
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It is.
I have seen holes like this under oak trees- which are actually produced by constant raindrops dripping off of leaves into the same spot. I say the best way to tell is to dig about a teaspoon full of dirt out of the bottom and seeing if there is a angry looking insect in there.
it actually quite hard to find the ant lion, since they blend in very well. The best way to confirm and catch is, drop a tiny ant and wait. If the sand start to get pushed up, then it is confirmed that there is ant lion. To catch it, scoop up the whole area. You may try to filter through and try to find it. Or, if you are as lazy as me, just leave it there for a few day and a new cone will appear again. Just drop a ant or any chubby insects (chubby spider works the best) once a while. Soon you will get a cocoon covered in sand and a beautiful green fly (after a long time in a cocoon).
For easier viewing, you can replace the dust with sand or even sugar. It actually don't need a huge area to live in.
Thanks for the information! I was wondering too if they were drops because I found some under a tree but eventually found a whole area of them out in the open. I'll collect up a few ants and sprinkle them in and see what happens!
You can also catch them by "fishing" for them. If something hits their jaws, they'll grab it.
I used to use blades of grass to pull them out of their cones. They are pretty cool looking.
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