The Ant

C O N S E R V A T I O N C O N C E R N S 45 species are at risk due to habitat destruction R A N G E A N D H A B I T A T Almost all parts of the world; most abundant in the tropics F E E D I N G H A B I T S Most ants are omnivores; they eat plant juices, seeds, fruits, other insects, and honeydew, a sugary liquid secreted by aphids. O F F S P R I N G Only queen ants lay eggs. Ants pass through egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. L I F E S P A N Less than six months on average; some worker and queen ants live for several years "Ant Quick Facts," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The ANT Go to the ant … consider her ways, and be wise – Proverbs 6:6 Contrary to the sluggar, the ant works itself to death; often carrying 50 times their body weight. An umbrella ant carrying a leaf is like a man carrying 1,000 pounds.

In both large and small colonies, ants divide up work tasks within the colony, such as digging tunnels, rearing the brood, collecting food, and laying eggs. This division of labor means that each ant is a specialist, performing some but not all of the various tasks needed for colony life. While different ant species use varied ways to divide up the tasks performed by workers in a colony, one crucial division of labor is common to all ant species: Only queens lay eggs, while workers raise the young. In species that have single queens and large colonies, the reproductive output of queens is astounding. A fire ant queen may lay 100 eggs per hour, around the clock, and an African driver ant queen lays 3 million to 4 million eggs per month. Worker ants typically do not reproduce. Some workers may have small ovaries and may release eggs, but no workers have a sperm-storage organ, so they never produce fertilized eggs. "Ant," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Ant Anatomy

Work Structure Queen ants lay eggs Male ants mate then die Worker ants are architects, protectors, foragers. Without a ruler, they know what to do – Proverbs 6:7-8

Army Ants Marching

The Work Harvester ants store seeds, biting off the germ to prevent them from sprouting in the dark, damp nest. Umbrella ants bring pieces of leaves into their nests and chew them into a mulch on which they grow “gardens” of fungi similar to mushrooms.

Forager Ant

The Work Some worker ants I’ll call the “drinkers” drink so much fluids from plants their stomach swells to the size of a marble. Then as the juices ooze from their bodies, the other ants lick it up!!

Ant Communication Ants use sophisticated communication to coordinate their specialized tasks. A key form of ant communication is the chemical signal called a pheromone. Many species emit alarm pheromones to alert nestmates to danger and attract them to the site of a disturbance. Some ants spread streaks of so-called trail pheromones on the ground to guide nestmates to food, areas needing defense, or new nest sites. The long lines of ants sometimes seen streaming from a nest are following these signals. –"Ant," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Magnified Ant Head

Ant Communication The queen emits a large number of pheromones, which serve various purposes in the colony. Some of a queen’s pheromones attract workers to groom and feed her. Many pheromones given off by a queen affect the physiology, rather than the behavior, of other ants. For example, certain pheromones released from a queen prevent the ovaries of adult workers from maturing, and other pheromones from queen ants may determine the caste of the developing larvae. –"Ant," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.