They become alert to the mere smell of a cow or a person, and when their acacia tree is brushed or shaken, they swarm out and immediately attack intruders.

Their stings are very painful, causing a lasting burning and throbbing effect. To brush against an occupied acacia, and thus to acquire a group of vicious, stinging ants on an arm or a leg, is a sensation very much like walking into a large nettle plant.