 |
 Insectlorepedia > Insects > Ants |
|
|
Ants have a distinct caste system and live in colonies or "nests" that are made up of workers, reproductive females (queens), and reproductive males. Ant workers are all sterile females. Males perform no other function than to mate with a queen. Unfortunately, the male dies shortly after mating. Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They are unable to digest cellulose and only use the wood to create nests or galleries. Thief ants often live in the nests of larger ants and feed on the larvae of their hosts. Many types of ants feed off of honeydew produced by aphids. Aphids are so important to some species of ants that the ants will care for and nurture them. In some instances, if a plant becomes too crowded with aphids, the ants will move some of the aphids to uninfected plants. Leaf-cutting ants cut and strip away leaf material and carry it into the nest. They then use it to grow fungi, which they feed on. Foraging ants bring food and water back to the colony and pass it on to nest-tending workers who then pass it on to the larvae or the queens. This food transfer is what makes poisonous ant baits so effective. Large colonies of ants can have 300,000 to 500,000 workers. |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
