Ants are workers. How does the family choose a new nest site? Harvester ants - steppe workers
Ants are gregarious insects. There are no solitary or hermit ants. All varieties of these small workers live in colonies. Each inhabitant of the anthill has its own specific responsibilities, but all efforts are aimed at only one thing - protection, strengthening and prosperity of their large family.
Ant "table of ranks"
Communication and mutual contact between fellow tribesmen is carried out using channels (signal and food). The colony is conditionally divided into "detachments":
Workers.
Soldiers.
females.
Males.
At the head of this legion is the uterus, she is the queen. The uterus has the most big sizes. This is a real conveyor for the production of eggs. The working detachment of ants is obliged to look after eggs, pupae, search for and prepare food, repair and strengthen the anthill. A detachment of guard ants, the so-called soldiers, perform protective functions, guard the entrances and deal with strangers. For females and males, the role of participants in the process of reproduction of offspring is prepared.
The anthill protectors are a subspecies of the worker ant, but with slightly larger dimensions. Separate ant species have insects - soldiers unable to feed on their own. The workers have to feed them.
The main function of a soldier is protective. He guards the anthill, food supplies and forager ants. A secondary task is to help with the dismemberment of large prey into parts if the worker ant is not able to carry it away entirely.
Worker Ants
This is the largest group of inhabitants of the anthill. The first to appear after the queen lays the first chamber of the future anthill is the builder ant. He expands and strengthens the future underground kingdom, looks after future offspring.
Worker ants are divided into several subgroups in their group.. To whom what duties to perform depends on the individual qualities of each insect. For example, individuals with initiative inclinations and reaction go to hunters or scouts. More sedate ones graze and carry aphids through the plants, collect its sweet honeydew. Only the age when the old ant is no longer suitable for reconnaissance or hunting, or the sudden death of most of the colony, can affect the change of activity.
Young specimens work underground, inside the anthill. They build new cells, dig passages, care for larvae and females.
They say about some people: "Works like an ant." And it does not mean that the result of his work is microscopic. On the contrary, it is a praise denoting a gigantic work done alone. The comparison with insects is not accidental. Few people in the animal kingdom can boast of such strength and endurance. A small ant is able to lift and carry weight, 50 times more than himself! And if several insects combine their efforts, then the figure increases to 70-80! This is because the ant's body structure is dominated by muscle tissue. Given the size of the anthill and the number of “freeloaders” that the worker ant provides with food, it is clear that he is not at all superfluous in strength. A stubborn insect, if unable to lift and carry large prey, will drag it along the ground behind it until help arrives.
It is surprising that when an obstacle arises on the way, the ants interlock with their paws and form living bridges up to several meters long.. Usually this is necessary to overcome a stream, a cleft, any places where it is not possible to walk on the ground. So, such a bridge is able to withstand a load of several kg.
Who is in charge?
The formation of a new colony begins with the uterus. This is the queen of the colony. It does not perform any functions (harvesting, protection, construction), except for one - to increase and maintain the size of the ant family. The uterus is formed from an ordinary female, which was fertilized by a male, and she was able to organize her own “kingdom”. The queen is the only one with wings, which she will bite off herself after nursing the first litter.
The life expectancy of an ant queen reaches two decades or more. As long as the queen is alive, the colony has every chance to rise from the ashes after any, the most crushing losses.. For the entire biological cycle, she lays half a million eggs.
The queen mother is followed in status by workers, the most numerous livestock of the colony. Then come the guard troops. And the chain is closed by males and females, among which, of course, there are individuals who, upon successful fertilization, will themselves become queens and form their own ant kingdom.
Video "The first steps of the soldier ant"
Ants are one of the most common insects in the world. According to some estimates, this family includes just over 12,400 species, in which there are more than 4,500 subspecies. But this figure is not final and is constantly growing. Considering how many species of ants exist on the whole earth, many are interested in knowing which of them are found on the territory of Russia.
General introduction to ants
From a biological point of view, ants are Hymenoptera. Their size varies depending on the species. These are social insects that live in colonies. They build their anthills from small particles in the soil or in wood. These families are well organized and have quality systems communication so that all their actions are coordinated. Interestingly, some species of ants communicate in their own language, with the help of which they convey complex information. Most of them have a symbiotic relationship with certain insects, plants, fungi and bacteria.
Each member of the colony knows his place and clearly fulfills the role assigned to him.
- females. These are the founders of the anthill. Most colonies have only one female. She lays eggs so that her anthill constantly grows and replenishes.
- Males. They are needed for the fertilization of females.
- Working individuals. Thanks to them, the anthill lives. They build a house, guard it, clean it, supply all the inhabitants with food, take care of the larvae.
It is worth noting that males and females are equipped with wings, while worker ants do not have them. Also, some types of ants have a sting.
Lifestyle
After the female has been fertilized, she loses her wings and goes in search of a place where she will lay the foundation of her anthill of several rooms and lay her eggs there. The male never survives. The uterus feeds the larvae with saliva. The first "batch" of released workers begins to engage in construction and food production. After enough worker ants appear, the female is only engaged in laying eggs, and the colony takes care of the larvae (white helpless worms). After five molts, pupae are formed that stop feeding. They produce adult females and workers. This process takes the whole growing season. Males are reborn only in spring.
The main diet is plant sap from aphid secretions. But while they are taking care of the larvae, the ants are feeding on other insects.
Ants: species in Russia and their features
It is known that these insects are able to adapt to different conditions and populate any landscape. But each individual species has its own characteristics, and this is due not only to external characteristics. Each of them has its own differences in behavior and lifestyle. Therefore, if you learn more deeply about these insects, even those that live on our territory, they may seem to us no less interesting than those that live only in the tropics. It has already been mentioned how many species of ants are in the world, so it is worth noting that more than 125 of them are in Russia. But in different sources this figure varies and sometimes reaches 300. The most familiar of them are red forest, meadow, pharaoh, domestic, termites, leaf cutters and others. Consider some types of ants. Photos of some insects will be attached.
red forest
This species for its habitat chooses mixed, coniferous and deciduous forests that are more than 40 years old. Females and workers are distinguished by a red-brown color. Their length is approximately 7-14 mm. The head of this ant has an oblong shape, and the body is dense. Males with reddish or yellowish legs. Their families are single, divided into three castes. One nest can contain from 800 thousand to 1 million individuals. Mating flights begin from May to the end of June. Surprisingly, only working individuals, either males or females, emerge from the eggs. It all depends on the needs of the family.
This type of ant is capable of harm due to the fact that they breed aphids. But at the same time, they also benefit the gardens. These insects destroy many pests that cause damage cultivated plants. Wherein Special attention ants turn to those insects in which mass reproduction begins. It was estimated that in a large anthill these insects can bring up to 21 thousand pest pupae in one day. Therefore, one such anthill is able to protect about a hectare of coniferous forest.
meadow ant
Another species common in Russia is the meadow one. The size of this insect varies between 5-11 mm. In meadow ants, the body is covered with villi, and there is a dark spot on the front of the breast. To build a house, they choose meadows, open edges and clearings. This species also breeds aphids. From the anthill to their "pastures" deepened paths were laid, over which sheds were made. Ants have been walking along these paths for years. In addition to aphid secretions, these ant species feed on dead insects. Very rarely eaten alive.
After winter, as soon as the air warms up to +10 degrees, they crawl out of the anthill. At a temperature of +30, insects do not leave their home. It was described above how many species of ants there are in the world, but of all of them, only these make sorties for breeding twice a season. They fall in May and August.
pharaoh ant
This representative belongs to the smallest ants. Their total length is 2-4 mm. They were first discovered in Egypt in mummy tombs. Then Carl Linnaeus described them and gave them a name. This happened in 1758. The small size helped these babies to spread throughout the earth. In Russia, they were seen in 1889. This is how these types of ants became famous. In the world they are found in almost every corner where there are people.
Usually they have yellow and dark belly. Males are almost black and always winged. This species is very industrious, and in the northern side they settle exclusively in human houses. They prefer darkness and moisture, so they are more common in the crevices of floors, walls, and other voids. Since they are always warm, they do not hibernate and their colonies are constantly growing. Usually their number is several thousand. In addition, they do not have to fly out for reproduction, and after fertilization, working individuals bite off the wings of the uterus. In just a year, the family grows by two thousand inhabitants. The nest is divided, and so they spread throughout the area, growing into huge colonies. It is difficult to fight them, because there may be more than one female in one place. It is interesting that bed bugs cannot get along with these inhabitants, since the acids that come from are deadly for these bed pests.
house ant
These representatives are also among the smallest, their size ranges from 1 to 3 mm. The female and male are dark brown, and the working individuals are distinguished by a bright yellow color. These ants are called thieves. Their small size makes them almost invisible, and thanks to this they get along well near the anthills of other species. At the same time, they steal larvae and eggs from them in order to feed themselves. They can be found in as well as with south side European part of the country.
black ant
This species is also one of the most common and often settles in human homes. Their color is usually black, but sometimes dark brown. The entire body of the insect is covered with small villi. Usually anthills are built in the soil, and there is a mound on top. They can also build their dwellings both in wood and under boulders. Sometimes you can meet a larger black ant - in this case, you stumbled upon another representative, he is called a reaper. This species is known for its propensity for huge stocks in the anthill. They can collect about a kilogram of seeds and insects in order to successfully spend the winter. Interestingly, unlike other ants, they feed their larvae with plant foods, and not with insects.
But the types of ants that are found in Russia do not end there. For example, many people know woodworms that run along the branches and collect honeydew on the leaves, and establish their colonies in stumps or under the bark, gnawing through the passages. Also on the territory of the country there are some types of "Amazons" that do not give birth to working individuals, but steal larvae from more peaceful ants. The babies who were born think that the Amazons are their parents and begin to do all the "dirty" work for them.
The most dangerous types of ants: names and descriptions
There are two types of these insects that instill a special fear in humans. But they are not found in Russia. These are “bullet” and “soldier” ants (also known as the First species are found in the forests stretched from Paraguay to Nicaragua. Its body length is 2.5 centimeters. It arranges its anthill on a tree. Passing under it, you can get caught by this ant, which bravely jumps on a person to protect his colony from the enemy.These insects know how to scream and, before attacking, he makes a call.He is called a "bullet" for a reason.His bite is as piercing and painful as a bullet wound.
Soldier Ant
This is the second dangerous arthropod. It mainly lives in the Amazon, but its families can be found in Asia and Africa. These are large individuals, reaching 1.5 cm. They are also equipped with large mandibles (about 7-8 mm). These ants do not have a permanent nest. They always roam, arranging a halt only for that small period while the queen lays her eggs. At this time, the soldiers are in search of food. When the larvae appear, the ants pick them up and continue on their way. The worst thing is that on their way they destroy all life - insects, small and large animals - all those who did not want to hide or fell asleep. A careless victim is covered by hundreds of thousands of powerful soldiers like a wave. These ants are completely blind, so everyone regards them as a threat to their colony. That is why they are not afraid of the size of animals.
These ants are an unusually close-knit people. If necessary, they can create absolutely any figure from their bodies. For example, they make bridges for the colony to overcome an obstacle, or weather walls. To do this, they firmly cling to each other.
Ant Enemies
As we have seen, different types of ants have their own internal structure that protects them and allows the colony to exist. But these insects also have enemies who love to feast on them. One of the largest ant pests is the bear. He regularly ruins anthills, lowering his paws there. The ants “stick around” them, and the bear licks the treat. Moles and frogs also like to eat these insects, which will not miss the baby running past. In addition, many people know the animal that is called the "anteater". He has a specially adapted muzzle in order to fit into the dwellings of insects. In addition, they are not afraid of their bites, because the hair is so hard and thick that even small ants are unable to get through it. The meat of this animal smells very strongly of these insects and is black in color. But these are not the only enemies of ants, because they are hunted not only by mammals, but by birds and even fish.
If ants appear in the house, it becomes impossible to live: they catch the eye everywhere, which creates great discomfort for the residents. In addition to hostility, insects can cause other problems to people. The article will tell about the varieties of ants, the features of their life, methods of destruction and prevention.
Ant Features
The ant family belongs to the class of insects, a type of arthropods. In terms of their way of life, ants are considered “socialists”, since hierarchical social ties are strong within the colony. The ant group includes three rigid social levels: worker ants, queens and males.
The body is covered with a chitinous layer, it consists of a head, torso, six limbs and antennae. The paws end in sharp claws that help climb vertical surfaces. Long whiskers are sensitive to external vibrations of the soil, air currents and aromas. The eyes have a complex structure: numerous lenses provide fixation of movement, but the image is not detailed. In addition, the head is equipped with three more eyes of a simpler design.
Ants have a special connection with smell: without this landmark, they would not be able to recognize a member of their anthill, to find food. Also, through the smell, members of the colony signal danger or call for help. To scare away enemies, individuals use a special poisonous substance and mandibles, with which they can severely injure the attacker.
Depending on the type of ants, the body size (0.4-1.3 centimeters) and physique vary. Also at different types different ratio of the size of queens and other representatives: the uterus is either traditionally larger than the rest, or equal in size with them. common feature are the wings of the uterus, which she loses after mating is over. The color also depends on the variety: there are red, brown, black, green and blue representatives.
Ant classification
The number of studied species of ants has long exceeded 10,000. About three hundred have been recorded on the territory of our country. All this diversity is difficult to classify, since there are many hybrids and twins. We will consider the most remarkable varieties.
Legionnaires (roaming ants)
They belong to nomadic colonies. They are found in strictly tropical and subtropical climates. Most widespread received in the south and in the center of America, were also seen in Africa. The number of families is amazing. Moreover, the main part of it is formed by workers. Traveling from place to place, nomads eat everything. The size of the body varies from 2 to 4 millimeters. But, despite such a small size, the colony, due to its large number, is capable of destroying large areas planted crops, saturated with juices and pulp of fruits.
Ants of the Amazon
The name of the species was due to the large uterus: the length of their body is about one centimeter. Males, respectively, are smaller - 6-7 millimeters. Working individuals are the smallest - their body length rarely exceeds 6 millimeters. The color of females and working individuals, as a rule, ranges from red-yellow shades, and the surface of the body is strewn with short dark villi. Body color of males is black, paws and whiskers are dark red. Areas covered by these Amazons: European countries, western Asia and Siberia. For the formation of anthills, the Amazons choose areas with the highest humidity, namely the edges. A curious feature is the habit of stealing individuals from foreign colonies. By stealing pupae from other anthills, the Amazons raise them and force them to work in their colony, like slave owners.
red ants
The variety is most often found in the middle part of our country, Mongolia, China and Europe. The name arose due to the appearance of the queens: they have a body 10 millimeters long, a red head and orange breast. The appearance of working individuals is different: their body reaches only 8 millimeters, the body is painted black, and the head is orange. Selected according to the season different places for organizing nests: in summer, rotting stumps, upper layers of soil and areas under stones are occupied for this, in winter the areas of tree rhizomes are the most convenient places for red ants, it is there that a winter nest is built. Like the Amazons, red ants trade in a slave-owning way of creating detachments for work. In addition to stealing other people's pupae, other people's food supplies are stolen in the process of raids on other anthills.
Oriental Liometopuma
The species is not found outside of Russia. In our country lives on Far East. Liometopums are included in the Red Book, as they are endangered. The uterus and males have black bodies that reach more than one centimeter in length, while the females are larger. Working individuals are different: a dark brown body is up to 6 millimeters in length. Liometopumas nest in the bark of trees. Fir, linden, pine or birch are suitable for this.
Ants Tailors
These ants have taken over areas such as Australian tropical and subtropical areas, Vietnam, southern India, Bangladesh and Thailand. The appearance is very exotic: the body has a bright green color, the limbs are light brown, and the abdomen is orange-red. Working individuals are 8 mm in length, males - 1 centimeter, the length of the queens can exceed 1.3 centimeters. By organizing nests, tailors capture trees. To do this, they glue the leaves, entangling them with sticky secretions of the larvae. Thanks to this cobweb method creating a dwelling appearance and acquired the name - tailors. One colony can have up to 500,000 representatives, occupying up to ten trees at the same time. Interestingly, the pupae and larvae of this species are allowed to feed poultry, and are also used in alternative medicine and Indian national dishes.
giant ants
The name is fully consistent with reality: adults reach 3.3 centimeters in length. The body is painted black. Representatives of giant ants are found in the humid areas of South America (mainly in forests). characteristic feature became the wings that males are endowed with. Also curious is the absence of queens. The function of reproduction of offspring is performed by working females. Nests are based exclusively in the soil, at a distance of 40 centimeters from the surface of the earth. The whole family is easily placed in one nest, the number of which does not exceed 30 representatives.
pharaoh ants
It is these insects that we meet in our apartment or house. Pharaohs originated from Egypt, and then settled all the continents. Pharaohs are quite small: males do not exceed 3.5 mm in length, females grow up to 4.5 mm, while working individuals are only 2 mm. It is curious that males are also endowed with wings, while females lose them immediately after the end of the mating season (they are bitten off by working individuals). The color of males is black, females have light brown bodies, working individuals are yellowish. Insects prefer to live in humid areas with minimal lighting. Within the limits of a human house, piers, spaces in the foundation, gaps behind the baseboards can be chosen for the construction of anthills. It happened that nests were found right in rubble equipment and wardrobes.
small forest ants
The species inhabited the entire north of Eurasia. Ideal Conditions for the life of this species of ants - forests with temperate climate. In length, forest representatives can reach 7-14 mm. The coloration is contrasting: a black abdomen with bright red spots, a black-red head. Insects erect anthills of very impressive size: they can be up to 2 meters high. building materials serve as small branches and needles. forest ants also included in the Red Book.
red ants
Insects got their name due to color: the body is painted in brown tones with a characteristic reddish tint. Moreover, this color is characteristic only for females. Males are black. The variety has spread in European countries, in the Far Eastern territories, in the region of Siberia and the Urals. The body size is average: females reach 6 mm, males - 5. Insects nest in the soil or under lying objects: under stones or fallen trees.
garden ants
An extremely popular species of ants, most often found in the UK, Portugal, as well as the central and Far Eastern parts of our country. The size of females is 8-10 millimeters, males - 6, working individuals - 5. Despite the name, there are not only black representatives, but also dark brown ones. The body is completely covered with small hairs. In addition to the ground and spaces under lying objects, ants can equip a dwelling in rotten trees. Favorite dish - pad, which remains after aphids. This makes the ants seriously engage in the protection and breeding of aphids. This activity is causing serious damage. garden plantings. Unique Trait- longevity of queens, whose life cycle can last 30 years.
Ant food
As it became clear from the description of the varieties of insects, the food culture is very different in different species of ants. They mainly eat foods of plant or animal origin. The need to saturate happens several times in 24 hours.
Like any creature, ant larvae need protein to develop. The remains of dead insects and animals become a source of protein. Also, the food for the larvae is half-digested food of adults. As for the larvae that develop in a human house, all kinds of leftover food with a protein content are used to feed them: dairy products, eggs, etc.
The uterus needs protein food no less. It is provided by working individuals who deliberately chew food to feed the uterus.
Carbohydrates are obtained from plant juices and aphid secretions. Especially for this, ants are engaged in full-fledged breeding of aphids: they care for aphids, protect and transfer the larvae to a safe place when a threat appears. For this work they receive food - the milk of aphids.
Also, all kinds of rhizomes of wild and horticultural crops, nuts, tree sap, seeds, caterpillars and other insects. Certain species of ants have excelled in gardening: they grow mushrooms in their nests and feed on them.
IN winter time years, when there are interruptions in food, insects go into a state of hibernation. This relieves them of the need for food. But not everyone does this. Some continue to be active in the winter. They spend this period in the anthill, eating from the stocks they have made.
How do they reproduce
The production of offspring in families can occur in two ways.
- The uterus with a small group of attendants is separated from the rest of the family to build a new nest. This is where brood production takes place.
- The second method is called marriage years. In a certain period, the female is fertilized by several representatives of other anthills at once, which soon die. Then the eggs are laid. After some time, the eggs hatch into working individuals. Until they appear, the uterus feeds on wings.
Reproduction occurs twice a year.
Harm to humans
Ants running around apartment buildings, are capable of spreading pathogenic bacteria, as on their way they meet garbage, animal corpses and other pathogenic objects. The spread of infection in apartments occurs at lightning speed due to the large number of ant families.
Nests or anthills can be located both inside the house and next to the building. Often ants do not need to constantly live next to a person: the anthill is located near the house, which are regularly raided in order to obtain food.
In any case, the constant or episodic presence of ants in people's dwellings puts the sanitary situation, and hence the health of the residents, at risk. It is necessary to take measures to protect the apartment / house.
When the colony flooded the apartment, it's too late to clean the apartment and take out the trash. Without knowledgeable and radical action, this is indispensable. Insects multiply rapidly and cling tightly to their home. There are many folk methods, however, all of them are able to give only a temporary effect.
Fortunately modern sanitary services have all the tools to solve such problems in a matter of hours.
Cooperation with SES takes place according to the following algorithm:
- Detailed consultation by phone.
- Selection of services taking into account the specifics of the situation and the wishes of the client.
- Registration of the contract, selection of the date and time of processing.
- Departure of the master, analysis, carrying out the disinfestation procedure.
- Final recommendations.
Cooperation with "Eco-Processing"
We offer both preventive and extermination pest control. The specialist conducts a thorough analysis of the apartment. Having collected the necessary data, he prepares chemical composition and handles the premises.
The operator of the company instructs the customer on how to prepare the apartment for the procedure, what to do after, and what safety precautions to follow.
A warranty period is established for the work done, the terms of which are prescribed in a transparent contract. During the warranty period, the customer is entitled to additional processing in case of low efficiency of the first.
To get advice and order a disinfestation service, leave your contact details (phone number) in the red box on the right of this page. The operator will call back as soon as possible.
Ants are very different from most of the small living creatures that inhabit the earth. On the other hand, there are more than 8,000 species of them and they make up approximately 12% of the mass of all land animals. The question of an ant is an insect or not torments many. They are not only insects, but very ancient, it is possible that their species originated from wasps or bees.
IN everyday life it became customary to call animals simply animals, dividing them into wild and domestic. and fish were divided into separate groups. As a result, the question arises whether the ant is an animal or an insect. On the one hand, he is alive, on the other, small and with six paws.
The ant is the strongest animal in the world
Animals are all living things on earth, with the exception of plants, fungi and viruses. Even a person belongs to this group, which consists of:
- animals;
- birds;
- shellfish;
- amphibians;
- reptiles;
- insects.
Each group has many classes, species, groups, subclasses. They are divided according to:
- habitats;
- respiratory organs;
- the presence and structure of the heart;
- feeding method;
- birth of offspring alive or eggs;
- places for laying eggs;
- stages of development.
An ant is an insect because it has notches on its body, like a wasp, bee, bug, fly. And it also belongs to the type of arthropods, because its paws consist of several segments. This group includes not only insects, but also arachnids, crayfish and crabs. The division goes on:
- order Hymenoptera;
- family - ants.
Ants are insects
So an elephant, a whale, a hummingbird, a bat, and an ant, regardless of size, are animals. Some members of the ant family have retained transparent wings, and fly out once in a lifetime to inseminate and create a new nest.
Crocodile, chicken, ant, moth and bug lay eggs. The hen incubates them and feeds the chicks, teaches them everything. The crocodile burrows into the hot sand and that's it, his mission is over. Both animals have living children from the egg. The bug acts similarly to the crocodile, attaching masonry in a secluded place, forgets about it, and the born nymphs themselves begin to get their own food from the first day.
The ant takes care of its eggs and feeds the larvae. Then pupation occurs and only after that an independent individual appears - an ant. In this state, the insect spends most of its life. In moths, the breeding process is similar, but the butterfly lives less than 2 weeks and most do not even have a mouth. The longest phase of existence of the larva is the voracious worm. And they are all animals of different families and classes.
Ants are unique in creating and caring for a food source. Just as a person provides himself with milk and eggs by raising domestic animals and birds, so an insect is bred and grown aphids, they take care of them, graze and take them to their hole for the winter, for the sake of their juice - fall. From the leaves create a nutrient mixture and grow mushrooms. They feed the larvae of some species of beetles in exchange for secreted enzymes that are edible for ants.
Ants have long history of its development. The first insect whose fossilized skeletons were found by scientists is 80 million years old. Their relatives are:
- termites;
- bees.
It is difficult to classify ants, many types of twins and similar only in appearance. In total, according to various sources, 8 - 12 thousand varieties are counted. Some of the insect families are predators, others feed only on nectar or wood. Insects are colored
- yellow;
- brown;
- red;
- black.
There are mixed ones. Separate types insects are eaten. But they don't have any meat.
black ant
The smallest ants grow 1 - 2 mm and can be difficult to see. But in warm damp forests tropics, you can find an insect quite large, 50 mm. Between themselves, ants differ in color, head size, waist, and the presence of wings. Otherwise, their structure is the same:
- head;
- breast;
- abdomen;
- paws.
The ant begins with complex multi-membered antennae. They serve him to determine his own and others, to feel food. A wears hard pieces and crushes insect food with strong mandulas. These are peculiar ticks on his head on the sides of the proboscis.
Between the chest and abdomen petiole in the form of a narrow waist. The working ant ends with a sting, into which his genitals have mutated. From above, the insect has a chitinous cover, which is also an exoskeleton. The paws are thin, multi-segmented and end in claws. Thanks to the peculiar hooks, the insect is freely held on vertical rough surfaces. On the head of an ant there are several types of glands that secrete various enzymes. Some serve as an identifying smell for their own, others as a poison that can kill small insects, larvae. For humans, ant stings are only in large quantities can cause allergies.
The ant has glands that secrete various enzymes, for example, in case of danger
In case of danger, ants signal by secreting enzymes consisting mainly of oxalic acid. She also smeared the sting of warrior ants. Therefore, if the skirting boards are wiped with a swab with oxalic acid, then for a long time pharaoh ants will not visit the kitchen.
The abdomen is a kind of reservoir in which liquid food is stored during its transportation to the nest. Some insects act as containers for storing honeydew and honeydew on winter period. They are in a special place among the pantries. In summer, worker ants pour nectar into them, in winter they eat. Running past, it is enough to touch the head of the tank with the antennae and it will give out a portion of food.
Ants have complex vision. Compound eyes on the sides of the head consist of many lenses. They cover a large viewing radius, but see poorly. Can determine the contours of large objects. The frog, thanks to a similar device of the organs of vision, can see an almost circular panorama around itself. Individual fragments from each pupil add up to her overall picture.
The large eyes of a dragonfly can see in color and detail only what is below it. The upper segments convey a black and white image, but clearly. This is enough to see the danger and fly away in time.
Ants have poor eyesight
Ant poor eyesight. Some who live and eat underground are generally blind. On the top of the muzzle and ants there are 3 more small eyes that can determine the degree of illumination and the density of the light flux. Insects navigate in space thanks to their antennae and sense of smell.
Ants eat only liquid food. They drink honeydew and honeydew, which make up to 60% of their diet. They collect nectar from flowers, extract juices from caterpillars and larvae. Working individuals crush solid food with their mandulas, process and regurgitate larvae.
In insects, the mouth is not adapted to chew food, only to suck. When meeting insects with the help of antennae, they transmit their smell, Tapping each other on the head, they get food.
Ants eat caterpillars and larvae
Leaf beetles crush the leaves with mandulas, then swallow and process. By burping the mixture, they sow mushrooms in it inside the anthill and feed on them.
Ants are social insects; they live in large families numbering hundreds of individuals. Everyone has their own responsibilities. The queen flies out of the nest only once to mate. After that, it gnaws off its wings and lays eggs all its life, on average 10 years. The method of long-term storage of the seed is also observed in bedbugs, females are fertilized once and they make clutches for a year. one mating is enough to lay eggs several times.
Ants live in large families
Males do not live long. They come from underdeveloped eggs and have only one type of chromosome. After mating, they soon die.
The bulk are worker ants. They have, like females, 2 types of chromosomes, but their genitals have degenerated into a sting, so there are no primary signs.
Among the worker ants there are soldiers guarding each entrance to the anthill. They have a large head and strong mandulas. Developed sting with poison. They are stronger and larger than other individuals, in addition to protecting their nest, they are engaged in capturing strangers. Foragers help them with this.
Forager ants prepare food
Foragers are working individuals that feed the whole family, extract and drag food to pantries and other members of the nest, care for larvae, and graze aphids.
Some species have slaves inside the nest. These are adults that have been captured as eggs in other nests of weaker species. They do not go upstairs, they constantly look after the larvae and do other work.
Ants stand out among other insects with their developed mind. Scientists have made some interesting discoveries.
- In finding the shortest way home and the route to food, they use mathematical calculations.
- In all insects, birds, fish, rodents, the process of defecation is not controlled. They leave their feces everywhere. Ants do the same outside. But in the nest they have specially designated places for this, analogues of the toilet.
- Ants transmit information to each other over a distance.
- In search of new places during overpopulation, insects will never occupy an empty nest with dead residents. They understand that it is dangerous, the place is infected with deadly viruses.
- Ants are able to find desired plants and be treated.
There is complete democracy in the family. The female, she is the queen, is the largest and lives several times longer than foragers. But it is the workers, who make up the majority, who decide its fate. If she does not do her job well, they gather, hold a meeting and kill her, laying down several new females.
The small insect Ant is smarter in its way of life and behavior and shows signs of intelligence and culture, more than some large animals. The whole anthill acts as one organism, consisting of hundreds of small fragments. In case of danger, they save the eggs and larvae - the offspring.
Scientists still argue to which order the ant belongs. The difficulty of classification is associated with a huge number of twin species and all kinds of hybrids. The ant family includes 21 to 26 subfamilies, 54 tribes, 378 genera, and more than 13,000 species.
Like their closest relatives - wasps, ants are included in the Hymenoptera order, but because of their originality, they were identified as a separate superfamily. Each species has its own characteristics, both externally and in lifestyle, differ in biology, organization and behavior.
Ant body parts
The ant has a head, a thorax, one or two stalks, and an abdomen. On the head capsule are the eyes, antennae and mouth apparatus of the ant, arranged so that the individual can only eat liquid food. The larvae can also eat solid food.
Where do ants live?
Ants live in a wide variety of natural landscapes and adapt to any conditions. For example, ants from the family of runners living in the desert can withstand temperatures up to +50 degrees. And the Kamchatka ant winters calmly at a temperature of -52 degrees, remaining alive.
How do ants live?
All ants live in families. The number of families is very different: there may be several dozen individuals, or there may be several million.
Individuals of the same species are divided into castes:
- females are queens or queens that lay eggs;
- ants with wings are males;
- sterile worker females.
This or that belonging to a caste is a genetic condition and does not depend on how ants live and in what region. The queens are the largest in size and have wings, but after the mating season they bite them off themselves. Males are smaller than worker ants, which lack wings.
Almost all species are sedentary, creating nests - anthills. More often main part the anthill is in the ground. This is a complex architectural structure, the branched system of passages of which can go as deep as 4 meters. The queen lives at the very bottom, there are eggs and larvae. The outer part of the anthill is a huge pile of twigs. There are also anthills that are not quite familiar to our eyes. For example, spiral ants build real labyrinths from clay around the entrance.
An amazing nest is also built by the woodworm ant. Their anthill is in the trunk of old trees. They literally gnaw holes in the wood. In this species, the largest uterus is found, reaching 2 cm in length. The most skillful architects are the houses of green ants or, as they are also called, weaver ants. Green ants build their nests on trees from leaves, while the leaves do not tear off the branches. They glue the leaves with their larvae, which secrete sticky threads. There are also species that do not have nests. They roam all the time. Nomadic ants do not move only during reproduction, creating for this purpose a huge openwork ball from their bodies.
The uterus of a nomad ant is the most prolific among all insects, it lays three eggs in two seconds, 130 thousand eggs are produced per day!
Ant food
Ants feed on living insects and their corpses, mushrooms and seeds. In addition to protein food, ant nutrition should include carbohydrates. Sources of carbohydrates are plant sap, nectar, sweet secretions of aphids, as well as other insects. An amazing bunch - aphids and ants, a prime example symbiosis. Ants protect aphids from enemies, carry aphids on their bodies to new shoots, sometimes even take them to their anthill for the winter. The aphids, in turn, provide the ants with food.
Ant breeding
At a strictly defined time, the reproduction of ants begins, mainly by budding. This happens once or twice a year. A young queen is born, and some of the working individuals, together with her, create a new anthill.
Most often, reproduction occurs in the mating flight, in which individuals from different anthills mix. Females with males return to the ground and start building a nest. The males quickly die, and the ant's uterus lays eggs and for a long time, almost a year, does not eat anything until the working individuals grow up and begin to bring food.
The most incredible ants
The most famous in Russia is the red forest ant. It is their two-meter anthills that can be found in coniferous forests. In such dwellings, several hundred thousand red ants live in an organized manner. These are the real orderlies of the forest. Red individuals feed on aphids, larvae and adult pests of the forest. According to scientists, in one day in such a huge anthill, more than 20 thousand various caterpillars and pest larvae are eaten. One such anthill is able to protect a hectare of coniferous forest, the role of ants in nature is enormous.
Pharaoh ants are the most tenacious, they are almost impossible to breed, as these individuals create a huge number of dispersed nests.
Each nest contains several hundred worker ants and several females. All nests are interconnected. Such a colony can be located on several floors. high-rise building. In order to get rid of them, you need to find and remove all the nests at the same time, which is almost impossible to do. But they also have benefits. In the apartment where the ants live, there are no bedbugs, they cannot tolerate the formic acid mixture.
In Australia, the most primitive and largest ants live, which are very similar to wasps. They are called bulldog ants. The name becomes clear if you look at what an ant looks like: they just have huge jaws that help them get food and, oddly enough, jump. With their jaws, they push off the ground and jump a 30-centimeter distance. Bulldog ants are unique in that they can swim and are dangerous to people. They have a sting, when bitten, the poison enters the bloodstream and causes anaphylactic shock.
Amazon ants are the most specific. This species does not produce workers. All offspring consists of soldiers and future queens. They attack other nests, steal their larvae and pupae. It is these worker ants that do all the work in the future.
Leaf cutter ants are the most skilled agricultural workers. They bite off a piece of a leaf, drag them to the nest, in which other individuals chew them. The resulting mass is infected with spores of the fungus. In the future, the mycelium is the food of ants. Interestingly, the saliva of individuals contains antibiotics, which does not allow the mycelium to disappear.
Mafia ants are surprised that there is only one alpha male in their colony. It protects the anthill from strangers by releasing a fragrant liquid from the anus and worker ants as soldiers come running to the rescue. The alpha male destroys future males at the pupal stage, considering them to be aggressors.
Fire ants have the most powerful sting and poison, the effect of which is equivalent to a burn. In history, there are cases when from bites fire ants people were dying.
Ants-babykillers - the most bloodthirsty. They steal the larvae and then eat them alive. They are difficult to catch by other individuals, because baby-killing ants spread pheromones with a terrible smell around them. This allows them to safely leave with prey.
Punisher ants have only one queen - the female. She is surrounded by five "maids of honor". All of them are ready to take the place of the queen. If one of them breaks the rules and lays eggs, there will be no mercy. Either she dies or she is demoted to the status of a worker bee.
Ant - a bullet lives in an anthill on a tree. The prick of his sting is very painful. Pain equates to pain from a bullet.
Crazy ants exterminate very dangerous poisonous fire ants. It is rare that an insect can survive such a poison. Crazy ants cover their body with their own toxin, thus neutralizing someone else's poison. You can check out the article.
