Ants

Characteristics of ants

One of the most common insects in nature are ants. These have a very characteristic appearance, as well as a predetermined behavior in their lives. But if you delve deeper into these animals, you will discover a very interesting world.

Therefore, in this category, you will find all the ant characteristics, their behavior, where they live, what types of ants there are, their feeding and reproduction.

Characteristics of ants

The ants, scientific name formicidsThey are a type of insect closely related to bees and termites. They are characterized by having a cooperative relationship between them as well as being very hard-working. It is known that ants are one of the oldest animals that survives on Earth; in fact, there are records of them from the Cretaceous period, that is, from more than 90 million years ago.

Today, it is estimated that there are about 10.000 known species of ants.

This insect has a average size between 2 and 2,5 millimeters. They have a body where you can clearly distinguish the head (where it has antennae), the thorax and abdomen (called the mesosoma); and the final abdomen (metasoma or gaster). This body does not have a skeleton, but it is the skin itself that makes it an exoskeleton, forming a casing. They also don't have lungs, so they use valves at the back where oxygen is stored so they can breathe. It has six legs that come out of the thorax and that end in a fine claw or a hook.

The tonality of the ants is varied, since you can find black, brown, red, or even earth-colored tones.

The behavior of ants

The behavior of the ants is based on a system where each one knows what task it has to do and carries it out from the time it becomes an adult until it dies. They are animals that are governed by the hours of sunshine, in such a way that they get up early and hide when the sun no longer gives enough light. During that time, all of them go about their chores, whether it is looking for food, taking care of the young, protecting the anthill, or hatching more ants.

Habitat

Ants are one of the most universal animals because they They can be found on virtually every continent in the world. Only in Antarctica and on the islands of Greenland, Iceland and Polynesia do they lack this type of insect.

Ants live in hidden and dark places, preferably in the fields, the jungle, rural areas, deserts, parks... They look for a place where they can easily find food and, at the same time, are protected. To do this, what they do is create an anthill made with entrances, mounds and tunnels in the earth itself.

types of ants

Depending on the organization of the ants, they can have different “jobs”. Thus, you will find several types of ants such as:

worker ant. It is the most common of all. These are small, sterile females, which do all the work in the colony. Among their tasks is caring for the pups and the queen, looking for food, expanding the anthill...
Soldier. This is characterized by having a larger head than usual, and also a larger size. It is in charge of protecting the anthill from other predators and can sometimes attack, bite, or help the workers carry objects or cut them. All because they have large and strong jaws.
Ant with wings. Believe it or not, this is actually a princess, or even a queen, who is a virgin and infertile. She is usually seen at the end of the summer to find who she will mate with. Once they do, they go to the ground to hide and place their nests. In fact, the wings are eaten themselves because they are proteins to feed her family.
Male. The male ant is also called drones and is similar to a wasp. Actually, it is flying and reproductive, but when mating, it dies.
Queen ant. She is the one who founded the colony. She can live between 1 and 30 years and a single fertilization can cause thousands of eggs to be deposited daily.

However, according to the species of ants, there are more than 13.000 of them. Some of them are: pruning ants, Argentine, red, Pharaoh, wood, field, domestic odorous, velvet...

Ant feeding

Almost all of the ants are omnivorous that is, they eat all kinds of food. However, their usual diet consists of insects, seeds, fungi, and flower nectar. They can also eat human food or even pet food.

Something that not many know is that ants also drink water. In fact, they need it to be able to moisten the food and eat it more easily.

As for how they get their food, except in the case of fights with other animals (where they fight in groups to be able to defeat their prey), most of the cases they do it by going out to look for food sources, carrying food until the anthill, and storing it in a section. They spend the whole summer doing this work in order to have enough food to survive the winter, where they do not leave their colony.

The reproduction of ants

The only ants that can reproduce is the queen. She is the one that mates with the males in the colony, and the only one that lays eggs. These will already have determined if they will be queens, males, workers or soldiers.

El first mating occurs after a "nuptial flight", where the female, flying, attracts the males. After the act, the males die and the female looks for a place to lay the eggs and thus create a colony. In order to feed all the larvae, she tears off her own wings, a source of protein. As for the eggs, some will be fertilized, and females will be born; but others will be male. A queen ant is capable of laying 1200 eggs daily, white in color and 0,5 millimeters in size.

Once they hatch, the larvae are placed in different groups as they They are classified according to their age and size. It is the worker ants that take care of them until they go through the pupal phase and, from there, to the adult ant specimen.

velvet ant

Within the kingdom of ants, one that may capture your attention is the so-called velvet ant. It is an insect that is characterized by having its entire body covered by a very soft fur. But you really have to be very careful with it.

And it is that this ant is not similar to the one you may have in mind, starting with the fact that it is considered more wasp than ant. Do you want to know more about the velvet ant? Well, keep reading and you will be able to discover what their characteristics, habitat, feeding and reproduction are.

pharaoh ant

Within the world of ants, they all look the same to us. But it is not like that, in reality, there are many different species that surprise us to a greater or lesser extent. Such is the case of the pharaoh ant. Have you ever heard of her?

Despite the fact that it is considered a plague and that it can be harmful to humans and to health in general, that does not mean that there are no people who want to know about the species. So if you are one of them, here we are going to leave you all the information you need to know about the pharaoh ant.

fire ant

Within the animal kingdom of ants, there are many different types. One of the ones that can attract your attention the most is the red one. The red ant is sometimes also called a fire ant. And yet, when you dig a little deeper, we realize that they are actually two different animals that, while they share many things in common, are also different.

So if you want to know what characterizes the fire ant, what is its main habitat, feeding, reproduction and what happens if it bites you, here you will find all the information you need.

Red Ant

The animal kingdom of ants is very little known. And yet, it comes to establish relationships very similar to those of wasps, bees... However, little is known about them, such as the fact that not only does the common ant exist, usually black, but there are also other species like the red ant.

If you have never heard of it before and you are interested in getting to know this type of insect, in addition to knowing if they are poisonous or not, today we are going to talk about the red ant so you can discover everything that is hidden about it.

Ant sting

ant sting

Surely at some point, especially in the summer season, you have come across the unpleasant surprise that there have been ants. And worse still, you have felt the ant bite in your own flesh.

If you thought that ants do not bite, we already tell you that this is not the case. They sting, and can become very painful. But, should something be done when you get stung? They're poisonous? Should I go to the emergency room? Believe it or not, some ants can endanger your life. so today We are going to explain about the ant bite and what you should do.

ant with wings

Almost always, at the time when summer is ending and autumn begins, it is common to find a type of insect that we do not like very much. We are talking about the ant with wings. Many are surprised by this, or think that they are another type of animal similar to the ants that are on the ground, but with wings. And they don't know they are the same.

Are you also surprised? Then do not forget to read all the information that we have prepared for you so that you know what the ant with wings is like, where it comes from, the functions and needs such as feeding or reproduction.

soldier ant

soldier ant size

Ants are insects that have unique characteristics. They are also known by the name of formicids. There are currently more than 10.000 known species throughout the world. Many of them have yet to be discovered. However, one of them calls special attention. It's about the soldier ant. They are ants with different characteristics and that have a fundamental role in the burrow.

In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics of ants and what are the differences with the soldier ant.

black ant

ants and aphids

In the world there are different types of ants depending on their characteristics and the habitat where they develop. Today we are going to talk about the black ant. They are common ants native to Europe, Asia and North America. Although their name points to a specific species, many people tend to associate them with other species. Such is the case of Argentine ants or odorous black ants. These stand out for giving off a characteristic odor.

In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, habitat and reproduction of the black ant.

carpenter ant

characteristics of the carpenter ant

The animal kingdom is characterized by not having one species of each of the animals, but several of them. Therefore, in the case of ants, we can find many different ones. One of them, the carpenter ant, mistakenly related to the fearsome termites (without being the same.

But what is a carpenter ant? Where you live? What do they feed on? You will discover this and much more below.

Ant-lion

Characteristics of the ant lion

The world of ants is quite homogeneous and it is that the vast majority of them resemble each other. However, there are times when you come across species that are totally different, even in their behavior. This is what happens with the ant-lion. And no, we are not referring to an ant that actually looks like this mammal, but to an animal that looks more like a dragonfly.

If you want to know why this animal has such a curious name, the characteristics that make it unique, where it lives, what it eats and how it reproduces, then be sure to take a look at the collection of information that we have prepared.

zombie ant

zombie carpenter ant

Although it may seem like something out of science fiction, the truth is that the existence of a zombie ant is very real. It is not exactly an ant that dies and wakes up as a zombie, but the cause of this state is due to a fungus that can affect the brain of these animals.

If you would like to know more about the zombie ant, where these usually appear, the types of fungi that cause this and how it behaves, do not hesitate to read what we have prepared for you.

Bullet ant

Within the kingdom of ants, there are many different species. Some are common and we know them with the naked eye. But there are others, like the bullet ant, whose name catches our attention, although you wouldn't want to get close to it, let alone bite you. If you want to know the characteristics of the bullet ant, the…