Kinds of Ants

There are about 10,000 species of ants. Many species are familiar to humans, although many others are seldom seen, living almost entirely underground, or foraging only at night. Among the interesting or unusual ants are the following:

build nests and tunnels in dead wood, trees, utility poles, and timbers of buildings. Although they do not eat the wood, carpenter ants can do considerable damage to it. Carpenter ants are found in temperate regions throughout the world. The workers are among the largest known ants. The black carpenter ant is the largest ant found in the United States. The workers are about half an inch (1.3 cm) long, and the queens about one inch (2.5 cm). This ant sometimes enters houses in search of sweet foods.

move their entire colonies every two to four weeks. They are found mainly in Africa and tropical America. Several species are found in the southern and southwestern United States, where they are called legionary ants. Driver ants are predatory, and their foraging parties are noted for ridding large areas of insects, lizards, and other small animals. Their sting is very poisonous, and they have been known to kill chickens and some larger animals. Driver ants have several kinds of workers, including soldiers. The soldiers are larger than other workers and have strong, hooked jaws.

Driver ants are nomadic; their movements are related to the hatching and growth of successive broods. While eggs are being laid and are hatching into larvae, the colony stays in one place. During this time, a previous generation hatches from pupae into adults. The entire colony then moves on to the next site through a leaf-covered tunnel built by the workers. The larvae are carried to the new site in the mouths of some of the workers.

Army ants—thousands to millions of them—are almost always on the move. They do not build permanent nests. They just march along, carrying their young and looking for food. They kill and eat anything in their path. This usually includes spiders and other insects. But in some cases, army ants prey on larger animals that cannot get away quickly.

Each night, army ants stop to rest. They gather together to form a cluster on a tree branch or in a log. The queen and the developing ants rest deep within the cluster, where they will be safe.

When the queen is laying eggs, the army ants cluster in the same spot each night. They remain at this temporary campsite until all the eggs have developed into active larvae. When the larvae begin to grow, the cluster moves to a new spot each evening.

are native to South America but are now also found in the southern United States. They eat a variety of foods, including fruit, vegetables, and insects. Fire ants are named for their painful sting, which produces a burning sensation. Armies of fire ants have been known to kill livestock. They are agricultural pests because they destroy young crop plants. Fire ants cover their nests with mounds of hard soil, some reaching a height of two feet (60 cm). They enter and exit the nest through several tunnels excavated in the mound.

found only in the New World, cultivate a certain species of fungus for their food. Some species of fungus-growing ants cut off leaves from trees and other plants and carry them to their nests. They chew the leaves into a pulp and use it as a base on which to grow the fungus. These ants are commonly called leaf-cutting ants. They are also called parasol ants because they hold the leaves over their heads when carrying them. Some fungus-growing ants construct their gardens from insect droppings.

Leaf-cutter ants are farmers that grow their own food in underground gardens. The food they grow is a fungus, a kind of mold or mildew. The ants fertilize their fungus gardens with bits of leaves.

Leaf-cutters build huge colonies. Their nests can have a thousand chambers and tunnel down 20 feet (6 meters). Inside, up to a million ants may be at work.

Big and little ants are needed to farm the fungus. Large worker ants set out at night to gather leaves. They use their long, hooked mandibles to cut the leaves. Then they march back to the nest, holding the leaves high. For this reason, leaf-cutters are often called umbrella or parasol ants.

Inside the nest, smaller workers chew the leaves into a pulp, or paste. They put this paste on the fungus. Later, tiny ants harvest the fungus to feed the colony.

gather and store certain wild grass seeds, or cultivated grain. They gather the seeds from the plants and pick up those that have fallen to the ground. They store the seeds in underground chambers, and bring them up on sunny days and spread them out to dry. There are several species of harvester ants, found in temperate and subtropical regions. They can inflict very painful bites and stings.

use certain workers, called repletes, as living vessels in which to store food. They collect nectar from plants or honeydew exuded by other nectar-eating insects and feed it to these workers. The repletes are gorged until their abdomens are many times normal size and they cannot move about. They hang from the ceilings of nest chambers and dispense the food, by regurgitating it, to the other ants during dry seasons when other food and water are scarce. There are a number of species of honey ants. They are found in the southwestern United States, Mexico, Australia, New Guinea, and parts of Africa.

Dairying ants “herd” aphids (AY fihdz)—just as people herd cattle! The ants keep the aphids together and protect them from other insects. Why do the ants do this? It’s because aphids produce something that the ants really like—honeydew. Aphids are small insects that suck plant juices and give off the excess as honeydew. Dairying ants eat the honeydew. They use their antennae to stroke the aphids, causing them to produce more of the sweet, sugary liquid.

Dairying ants take good care of their aphids. They will move their herd if the aphids need better plants to eat. They even store aphid eggs in their nests through the winter to start a new herd in the spring. A young queen may also take along an egg-laying aphid when she starts a new colony. This queen carries the aphid in her mandibles.