You’ve probably noticed ants working together in groups. There is strength in numbers and these group efforts allow them to get more done. They communicate using their antennas as well as chemicals to get things done. The chemicals they use to communicate are called pheromones, they use them to signal to other ants to defend against intruders, find food or perform other activities. You might be wondering how does teamwork help ants survive? This article explains how
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How does teamwork help ants survive?
Ants are well known for their ability to work in groups. They work in groups by performing a variety of activities which include transporting heavy objects, finding food and building their nests. This article will be a closer look into how exactly this teamwork makes their ant colonies better and stronger
In the colony
Every ant in the colony has a job to do and every ant is necessary. The work they do as individuals may be small and seem insignificant but collectively ants have a huge workforce which enables them to get things done.
The different ants in the colony are specialists in their fields. This can range from ants which take care of recently hatched eggs, ants that take care of the queen and her brood. Other ants which are responsible for finding food and bringing it back to the nest for the others and ants that are responsible for defending the nest against predator’s and enemies. And finally, the queen who is responsible for laying eggs and increasing the population of ants.
The ants, when working together in a colony, are able to efficiently perform tasks and solve problems. Although they only communicate through the pheromones this has proven to be a very effective communication method for them
Directions:
Ant’s leave behind invisible chemical trails which other ants use to get to sources of food. We as humans see this as ants walking in the same lines towards the food in our pantry.
When they go out to look for food they leave behind traces of pheromones to guide other ants to the food using the easiest possible route. As more ants follow the trail more pheromones are left on the trail. This makes it easier for new ants to know how to get to food sources.
Strength:
It is a well-known fact that ants are able to carry 50 times their body weight, this is an amazing feat, its the reason why you see tiny ants carrying large pieces of food to bring back to the colony.
When ants decide to work together they are even stronger than they are alone. If you want to see this phenomenon happening look at images of groups of ants carrying dead insects back to the colony for food or to nest in. This type of group work makes all the ants in the colony’s lives easier.
Defense
Because of the large numbers that ants travel in when farming and hunting they can achieve more. They are able to overcome bigger prey which lone ants would not be able to fend off. They are even able to ward off bigger animals like mammals who might attack them
When they need to compete with other colonies, for example when its pavement ant season and ant colonies fight, the large numbers are needed to defeat the other colony. The bigger the colony the higher the chances that it will win.
Pavement ant season is when ants will become aggressive and competitive. They fight for territory, whichever colony wins will claim it and the loser will be forced to find a new smaller territory. This is a numbers game, the colony with the bigger numbers will end up winning.
Farmers:
Ants will not attack unprovoked. They are generally peaceful creatures. They are omnivores but will go for the easiest feed. If they find a good enough plant to feed on then they will signal to the other ants to collect feed form the plant and all bring it back to the nest to feed.
This tactic is performed by leafcutter ants. These ants will go out to find vegetation which they will later use to grow fungus gardens right inside the nests which will be a nutritious feed for the colony.
What we should learn from ants?
It is clear that we should take notes from ants, they can accomplish so much when they work together. Humans will stand to gain more when working together, not just in the sense that we would be able to carry heavier things (which is true) but that if we can work together to accomplish a goal we will be better off.
Why do ants work together as a team?
Ants work together as a team because they are able to achieve bigger accomplishments as a team. Ants use their specific skill sets to improve the colony as a whole.
They depend on each other to find food sources. Ants work together and use their combined strength to move things around and come together to defend their nests against common enemies. They work together as a team because they know that working together will give better results than working as individuals.
What are the three main jobs of worker ants?
To keep the colony running smoothly each and every ant has a role to play. The three main positions that exist in the colony are the queen, the worker and the male.
Queen: The queen ant lays eggs in the colony, she is the only ant that can do this. She is responsible for the continuation of the colony. She lays eggs continuously to make this happen. When she dies the colony dies
Male ants: The only job of the male ant is to reproduce with the female ant. They die quickly after mating with the queen. Because they only exist to mate these ants will die off after a week.
Worker ants: These are the ants that you see every day. The worker ants are female ants that go out and look for food and water and also tend to the young in the nest. To ensure that the young ants are well looked after some of the worker ants stay indoors to tend to the young.
What do ants do all day?
Queen ant: Because the queen ants job is to reproduce and lay eggs this is what she does all day. She lays eggs all day and gets tended to her by the other ants in the colony. Because they feed her and make sure she’s clean she can spend the day just laying eggs. She can lay up to 1000 eggs a day.
Worker ants: Worker ants can be divided into outside worker ants and inside worker ants. The inside worker ants spend the day feeding and cleaning the queen, keeping the nest warm, maintaining the tunnel. Storing any food brought in by the outside ants and keeping the nest safe from predators
The outside ants are concerned with finding food for the colony. This includes hunting and looking for animals to bring back to the nest. In addition, they find food such as nuts and seeds. They also look for and collect suitable materials to improve the nest.
Male ants: Male ants reproduce with the queen all day. This is how they help the colony grow.
Can an ant join a new colony?
No, an ant cannot join a new colony if their colony is destroyed or they get separated from the colony for some reason. Ants can differentiate between ants in their colony from ants who are not in their colony. Ants communicate through pheromones and this is how they can tell
If an ant tries to join a new colony then that ant will be rejected by the ants of the new colony. But in certain circumstances, the ants in the new colony may adopt the orphaned ant because they can use the added help and labour to improve their own colony. This does not always happen, unfortunately.
How ants communicate with each other?
The main mode of communication that ants use is pheromones. Ants can also use sound and touch to communicate with each there because their eyes aren’t all that well developed.
Their skill of communication using pheromones is very advanced and effective. The smells released by each ant is picked up by other ants through their long antennas. This is how ants get information about their situation.
Pheromone trails are left on surfaces and other ants follow these pheromone trails to get to food, water or shelter. When more ants that use that trail the trail becomes stronger. When fewer ants use that trail the smell starts to dissipate. They can also smell if their territories are being attacked or if another ant is dead.
Another way of ant communication is through body language. Ants don’t see each other well but they can touch each other to express themselves. For example, an ant may press on another’s head to communicate
Do ants carry their dead away?
Yes, ants do carry their dead away, many insects do this. This behaviour is most commonly found in social insects. The behaviour is called necrophoresis. When an ant dies it releases a pheromone and this pheromone is a signal to other ants that the ant is dead and that other ants can come and pick it up
The live ants will pick up the dead ant and take it away. They move the dead ant for sanitary and health reasons. If the dead ant is left too close to the nest or even inside the nest then the nest can become infested with microorganisms that can kill off the ant colony. The ants that remove the dead ants are designated undertakers.
Are ants the smartest insect?
Insects are intelligent in their own ways but they act differently so they cannot be rated on the same scale. But from what we know about ants we can safely assume that they are quite an intelligent species of insect. Ants are very social, they are good at communicating with one another and work together to get big tasks done.
Their ability to work together in colonies makes them highly intelligent. They cooperate, share, work, help and know-how to act to get the maximum benefit for the colony. They are even able to regulate and maintain the health of the colony.
There is no test that can be done on ants that can compare them to other insects. But from what we have studied, ants are really smart.
How to get rid of ants:
Ants can unfortunately work together to damage your home and pose a risk to your health. If you want to get rid of them there are a few things you can do:
Baits: Ant baits are substances that ants see as food, this “food” is actually laced with poison. When the ants bring this food back to the colony the ants in the colony will eat it and die off. This bait is very effective.
Corn-starch: Just like baits ants love this stuff, you can mix it with some powdered sugar and leave it out for the ants. The ants will eat it up but their digestive systems won’t be able to digest it. They will die because of it. This is an affordable corn-starch.
Close up: To prevent ants from entering your home you need to seal off any possible entrances that ants can get into. You can use caulk or sealant to do this. This caulk works well, this sealant works well.
Get rid of ant trails: Once you’ve gotten rid of ants you need to make sure that the ants don’t come right back into your house, to do this you need to get rid of the ant trails. Mix one part vinegar and water, spray it on your surfaces are where ants have been and wipe
That’s it for my article on how does teamwork help ants survive. I hope you enjoyed this article and found it informative. If you would like a guide on how to get rid of ants then read this article. If you know someone else who might find this helpful please share the article.
