Ants are part of the most popular group of insects in the world. Belonging to the Phylum Arthropod and the order Hymenoptera, they are found everywhere except in the polar regions.
Ants are insects that live in society. In each ant colony there are many queens that are responsible for reproduction and that can live up to 18 years. Fertilization of queen ants occurs during the nuptial flight, and the male dies shortly thereafter. Before laying eggs, queens lose their wings.
Ants have well-defined roles within their colony
Each ant has a well-defined function within the colony: all tasks are well divided among all of them. In an anthill there are ants that are responsible for safety, those that make the anthill tunnels and look for food, and those responsible for taking care of the larvae. The anthill is a very complex structure, full of underground galleries and tunnels that extend for several meters.
Ants keep their colonies in anthills, which are built in the earth, in tree trunks or in old stumps.
There are around 18 thousand species of ants in the world, and in Brazil there are more or less 2 thousand species of these insects. Some of them live in constant contact with man and can cause various damages.
For example, some ants attack plants, impairing their development and even killing them. Entire crops have already been lost to ants. Ants are household pests and attack many types of food, especially sweets.
In Brazil there are about 2,000 species of ants
Ants communicate through a chemical called a pheromone. As they walk, they leave behind a trace of this substance, which is perceived through the antennas. Ants usually defend themselves by stinging and injecting their victims with formic acid, which causes a lot of irritation. These insects can carry an object that weighs 100 times their own weight.
Ants can carry a weight up to 100 times their own weight
The ants' food will depend on their species: some are carnivores, others herbivores, but the most ants are omnivorous, that is, they eat everything, animals, vegetables and food waste humans.
Paula Louredo
Graduated in Biology
