No one expects you to be very happy when a lot of ants show up under the trees for your picnic. You have the option of becoming a nuisance to yourself. And those little persistent mistakes are likely to get you and your party moving really quickly.
Nevertheless, ants are mentioned positively in the oldest book in the world. “Go to the ant, lazy; Look in your ways and become wise, ”says the Bible. This means, of course, that laziness can learn something from the humble ant. The?
The Bible also says that ants are "instinctively wise". Does that mean they think deeply, make smart plans, and put them into practice?
The search for answers to these questions brings us to an extraordinary society. Tracking down ants, observing them and visiting their homes can be an adventure.
Get to know a "super family"
Ants are insects from the "order" Hymenoptera, which also includes wasps and bees. But the ants themselves form the so-called "superfamily" of the Formicoidea. It's all very scientific, isn't it? No matter what you call them, there are around 15,000 species of ants on earth, and they live everywhere except the polar regions.
One thing is certain: ants are superfluous. Since it is estimated at only 4 hectares of forest, there would be between eleven and thirteen million of a single species, not to mention all the other ants in the same area!
A precise view
Although there are millions of ants, let's suppose we take a closer look at them as individuals. Let's start with the color. Some ants are yellowish, but most are black, brown or red. “But I've also heard of white ants,” you may point out. "What's going on with them?" In reality, “white ants” are not ants. They are termites and belong to another family of insects.
Now a few words on the anatomy of ants. The body is made up of three parts: (1) the head; (2) the chest; and (3) the abdomen. Ants have several nerve centers, the largest of which is the brain, located on the head of the insect. Most of these creatures have a compound eye on either side of their head. These eyes can be made up of six to over a thousand lenses, each similar to a small eye. Additionally, some winged ants have three simple eyes on the back of their heads. While the sight of ants is generally very poor and some do not have eyes, at least some can see rocks and other things and use these "landmarks" as guides on their journeys.
If you look at the head of the ant, you will notice that the two antennae are extending outward. Everyone's feel, taste and smell are associated with these "sensations". And don't forget those jaws. They open and close from side to side, not the other way around.
The three pairs of ant legs are attached to the chest. Wings too, if the insect has them. Then comes the belly, which contains the harvest, where the food is stored and transported to other members of the ant community. The stomach and intestines of the ant are located behind the culture in the belly. One more thing: some ants have a bite that relieves pain. In fact, fire ants are known to kill young birds that have not yet left the nest.
A place to call home
The "house" ant is just a little starting point, "a little nest you can call". It can simply be a buried grave or under stones. Some ants form mounds or mounds by accumulating soil and branches around and on their nests. Inside there are corridors that connect several cameras. Other ants can burrow up to 5 meters in the ground, and their underground labyrinth of rooms and hallways can be very large. Some nests cover an entire acre!
The carpenter ants organized a wood cleaning service. Without consuming the wood, they bite into the room. It doesn't matter if your house is an old log in the woods. In fact, however, when "house" is within the radius of your house, that is another problem. Buildings can collapse as carpenter ants build houses with their wood!
Some ants weave leaves to form the exterior walls of their home. To do this, they use the silky material that is released when the ants or larvae develop. While some adult ants hold the leaves in place, others move the larva back and forth and sew the edges. Other ants still make "cardboard" out of wood particles and possibly sand, all cemented with their saliva. But insects called military ants are not domestic engineers. They simply cluster around the mother ant and her young and can be hung from a tree trunk with hooked legs to form temporary protection.
A unique caste system
Ants live cooperatively in well-organized groups or colonies, and the Bible correctly calls these social insects "a people." (Pro. 30:25) Among them are three basic varieties: (1) the "queen" or "queens"; (2 men; and (3) workers. The Bible says that the ant "has no commander, officer or ruler." One may think that the "queen" is the ruler in a community of ants, but she is not. Interestingly, It was said: "The queen is exceptional in any typical colony; in the true sense of the word, she is not a leader, but the mother and often the founder of the colony. She lays the eggs of which all live other ants. develop. "The animal kingdom.
While the "queen" can live up to fifteen years, the males, who usually have wings, usually live only a few weeks. Your responsibility? To mate with the "Queen". For some reason unknown to man, usually around the evening of a given day, all ant colonies of a given species within a radius of kilometers hunt males and females with wings. The displaced ants then test their wings in what is known as the marriage escape. Generally, males and females mate in flight. At this point, and perhaps for more than one male, the female is ingesting enough sperm for an incredible reproductive life.
After the nuptial flight, the ants fall to the ground and the males die early or are eaten by various mammals or birds. The female chews or plucks the wings, crawls to safety in the shelter, lays eggs, and cares for them until the workers develop. So, take on the tedious tasks and she will simply become the "queen" of assisted deposition. It is the beginning of a new colony. How big are the colonies? They vary widely, but a very large colony consisted of about 238,000 ants.
Life in a colony means a lot of work for worker ants, sexually underdeveloped women. Its functions include the search and provision of food, the care of eggs and chicks, the cleaning and enlargement of the nest and the defense of the colony. By the way, with worker ants as guardians, the eggs hatch into small white worms that shed their skin several times and become fully developed larvae. Some larvae weave cocoons with their own saliva. Over time, the larva sheds its skin and pupates. At this stage, the changes occur at rest and an adult appears. Ants don't have bones, but they grow into adult insects.
The defense of the colony is in charge of the "soldiers", worker ants with very imposing jaws and larger heads. Speaking of heads, a guardian ant can block the entrance to the nest on a log, blocking the entrance from the inside, with its head greatly enlarged and camouflaged. Well, that really uses your head! In defense, some ants use their stings effectively. Others spray intruders with a caustic material or a smelly liquid that they produce. On contact, the corrosive substance can cause dryness and peeling of a person's skin. Insect victims can even be mutilated or killed.
A family of all kinds
There are several types of ants in the formicoid superfamily. Without being technical, we will look at them by their "lifestyle". It was once said that all ants were primarily carnivorous and did not store food during the winter months as they remained in a torpedo state during that season. In 1871, however, a naturalist found ants in southern Europe "looking" for grain. Today, some ants are known to eat seeds. Two species of ants that are very common in the Middle East, the black attack barbara and the brown attack, eat the seeds and store them for the winter when food is difficult to find. In fact, it is not uncommon to find ants named Messor semirufus that nest near flower beds, pits, or pits where food is plentiful. Some species, commonly known as forage ants, "come together at harvest time," as the Bible said centuries ago.
Some ants can be considered "farmers". Leaf cutter ants use their pines to cut leaves and flowers. In fact, they are known to wipe out an entire deciduous tree in one night. When these insects bring the rooms home, they appear to be carrying umbrellas; This is why they are called umbrella ants. However, the leaves are not eaten. Instead, they are chewed into a mash on which the fungus grows. The insects then feed on these delicacies, which are cultivated in the ant's underground "mushroom beds".
Some ants keep "cows". These ants take care of aphids (plant lice), leafy funnels, and insect shells that live on plants near the colony's nesting site. In fact, the brown corn field ant usually keeps aphids in its nest. The ants hit the backs of their "cows" with their antennae, "milked" them, and let these insects release a sweet substance called honeydew from the stomach. These ants celebrate "in their hearts". ""
Food storage is not a problem for honey ants. Whether they collect sweet juices from flowers or melons from other insects, these ants store the delicious liquid. Some young ants keep swallowing it until it is the size of a pea. These living “honey pots”, called soft toys, hang from the ceiling at the base of the nest and throw the honey out of the mouth when the hungry ants arrive.
Whether intentionally or accidentally, some ants own slaves. They search another species' nest and bring home the pupae or cocoons of other ants. However, before being eaten, some ants appear and immediately go to work as if they were originally from the colony of their captors. It seems that the Amazonian ant willfully captures and enslaves other ants.
March!
Long-legged black or brown insects, called conductor ants in Africa, and army ants in America, can be very threatening. Even the so-called army ants will chase away these "bad guys", march in large columns, and devour almost any other insect in their path. They have attacked birds and even humans and are known to bring down a horse attached to a skeleton in just a few hours!
Still, this "bad guy" has a positive side. The animal kingdom says, “The Indians and other natives who live in their palm tree huts would like the conductor ants to appear. These people go out and let the bugs take over their homes, knowing that once the ants get past all other bugs, bugs, flies, and spiders will be gone as well. The only concern is that the colony suddenly decides to spend the winter in one of the houses for one or more nights, which is an uncomfortable situation for the residents. ""
Are ants "instinctively wise"?
Researchers who studied ants in labyrinths concluded that these insects can see "landmarks" with their vision. With smell, they can also be controlled by smell. They even seem to learn from experience. Of course, none of this means that ants argue and make smart decisions. Because when the rain swept away its normal streak of scent, a column of military ants accidentally started on a circular road on a sidewalk and circled until they all fell dead! But the ants admitted: "As small as they are compared to humans, they have memory, learning and the ability to correct mistakes."
This is "instinctive wisdom" in action. It does not stem from the exercise of the ability to think, but from the instincts that the Creator gave these fascinating beings.
Now you can understand why we say to "lazy": "Go to the ant." This person can get acquainted with the work and vision of this humble insect. Instead of sleeping at the right time for work, you should be like the ant that "prepares food for the summer." it will put you in action without much delay.
