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Do you know that there are about 8000 species of ants ?
They are found worldwide but are especially common in
hot climates. They live in organized groups called
colonies. It is because of this that ants, like their
relatives, the bees and wasps, are said to be social
insects. All ants share common characteristics. The
body of an ant is divided into three parts : a large
head, a thorax and an oval abdomen. The thorax is
separate from the abdomen by a slender waist. An ant
uses its three pairs of jointed legs to move about. Ants
are usually yellow, brown, re or black in color.
Ants hatch from eggs as legless larvae or grubs. The
queen is the only female in the colony which can lay
eggs. The other females are worker ants which build the
nest, collect food and tend to the larvae. the large
females, known as soldier ants, defend the colony. The
function of the male ant is to mate with the queen. Only
the queen and male ants have wings which are used during
the mating ritual. Soon after mating, the male ant dies.
The fertilized queen pulls off her wings and leaves to
establish a new colony.
Ant colonies live in nests consisting of numerous
chambers connected by tunnels. Some ants colonize tree
trunks or live in mounds built of sticks and leaves.
Some others secrete silk to sew together nests of
leaves. They are also found under rocks or live
underground.
Ants feed on both plant and animal matter. The Atta
ant of South America builds its nest underground. Unlike
other species of ants, it feeds differently. It chews
off pieces of leaves which it then carries to its nest.
the leaves are shredded into little pieces and left to
rot. After some time, fungi grow on the decaying leaves.
The Atta ant then feeds on this fungi.
The honey ant obtains its food in a rather unique
way. This ant strokes the abdomen of an aphid to coax it
to secrete a sweet liquid known as 'honeydew' which the
honey ant then proceeds to eat.
Another species, the honey-pot ant, has adapted well
to the dry condition in the desert regions of North
America. this ant stores liquid in its abdomen much like
the camel stores fat in its hump. Sometimes, the abdomen
is so swollen that the ant can hardly move. When this
happens, the ant will rest quietly while other members
of the colony 'milk' the liquid from it. |
