Wildlife Photograph

There is Much to Learn Through Myrmecology

Friday May 19, 2006
More than you ever thought you'd learn about ants and their lives.

Ants are members of the family of social insects, meaning that they live in organized colonies.  Ants make up the family of Formicidae of the order Hymenoptera.  The ant family contains more than 4,500 described species that can be found in tropical and temperate areas around the world.   Ants have the same basic structure as all insects, made up of three main body parts: head, thorax and abdomen.  They have six legs with three joints on each leg.  The scientific study of ants is calledMyrmecology.                                                                                                                                          In a colony of ants you find wingless, infertile female workers predominate in defense, foraging and brood-tending. The fertilized, winged female becomes the queen and may find her own nest after the mating season. In some species, they may also stay in the colony or the surrounding area. Males die after mating. The queen starts laying eggs that develop into white larvae, then pupae and after that adults.                                                                                                                                 The larvae are fed from a few weeks to several months. Pupae can be naked or covered with a substance they secrete at the end of the larval state. At the end of the pupae state, the adults have reached their full size. During their growth stage, the immature ants are fed, cleaned and attended by adult workers. Commonly, the pupae are incorrectly called ant eggs, the true eggs are much smaller.                                                                                                                                                     Most ants build some sort of nest in which they live and to which they bring their food.  These nests can be found under and above the ground, in trees and in houses . Ants are generally omnivorous, but some need special food. Fungus-growing ants cut leaves and bring them home to their nest to fertilize the fungus gardens they build. This kind of fungus can only be found with  leafcutter ants. Harvester ants frequently visit grass fields to harvest and store grass seeds. Specialized workers crack the seeds for the other ants to eat. Many ants eat the sweet fluid excreted by aphids. Some species keep and protect them, sometimes even in their own nests. Honey pot ants feed certain workers used as living containers with enormous quantities of honeydew. Thus their bodies become so big that they cannot move. The nests of the army and driver ants are built out of the clustered bodies of millions of workers   hanging down from a low branch or log. In this cluster the queen and brood are enclosed. After this nesting phase, the nomadic phase starts. Then the whole colony moves with the queen and brood protected by the huge soldiers who kill everything that comes into their way. Even young birds that are unable to fly, lizards and other small animals are killed if they cannot get away. Some ants are temporary or permanent parasites in colonies of other ant species. After forays against other ants Amazon ants bring back unconsumed brood to serve as slaves as soon as they have matured.                                                                                           Ants can be found everywhere and in great variety.  Due to their highly developed means of communication, they can be called the most successful species on this planet.  The weight of all ants taken together equals that of mankind.  Ants are farmers, hunters, collectors or even slaves of other ants.  Ants are one of the most fascinating animals on the planet, so take the time one day to become a novice myrmecologist.

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