Ants Live In The Colony example essay topic

Ant Colony In everyone's lifetime they have probably run across an ant hill in their backyard or a colony of carpenter ants in a woodpile. Also, they may have noticed a long line of ants marching single file, like soldiers, empty-handed; while another line marches with a heavy load on its shoulders, coming back to camp. In evryone's lifetime, however, they have probably never thought about all that goes on in the ant colony. The ant colony is an incredible, interesting world that goes on beneath the surface of our earth. Ants are plodders on six stout legs that are most commonly found without wings. Although few persons are aware of it, nearly all important human industry and many human characteristics are common among the ant (Dupuy, 1925).

In many ant colonies, ants perform many different jobs. There areant masons, miners, carpenters, builders, farmers, engineers, soldiers, police, doctors, servants, slaves, nurses, undertakers, and sanitary workers. There are also ant hospitals, cemeteries, playgrounds, and nurseries (Verrill, 1937). In biblical times, Solomon stated that you should "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise", (Barker, 1960). During some periods of spring and summer, large numbers of winged males and females, called queens, are produced. These emerge from their nests and the males climb onto weeds or other places and take off in flight.

Soon they are followed by the queens. Mating may take place high in the air or on the ground, depending on the species (Barker, 1960). During these activities, many of the males and queens are captured by birds that gather for the feast. If the queen is mated and successful in survival of the flight, she will select a nest site. She then severs her wings, for which she will no longer need and begins excavating a hole in the earth. The hole is several inches deep and connects with one to four domed-shaped chambers.

She will then deposit about 50 eggs. When these hatch, the larva are fed on materials secreted by her. As they grow, she cares for them by transporting the larvae into different chambers to provide them with the proper conditions. These ants hatch into what are referred to as workers and are smaller than normal because of their limited supply of food.

Succeeding generations are fed and cared for by the worker ants and develop normally. After thesehatchings, the queen's only function is to lay eggs. The queen can live from 10 to 15 years. The worker ants take on many different jobs. Many of their jobs are done in contrast with our human society. The first hatch of the worker ants a recalled nurses.

These ants relieve the queen of taking care of the eggs and larvae. When new eggs are laid, the workers take immediate charge of them, grasping them into compact bundles. When the eggs hatch into larvae, these nurses feed them partially digested food (Shuttlesworth, 1996). 3 After the larvae reach their pupal stage, the nurses are concerned with providing them with the proper conditions of temperature. The nurses move the pupae deeper into the earth during the day and back near the surface during the evening. The Nurses also keep the pupae clean and protect the mif attacked (Shuttlesworth, 1996).

In an ant colony, the ant doctors and surgeons are important. There areant hospitals in the colony for sick or injured ants and if a member of the colony has a disease, it is not unusual for the ant doctors to isolate the patient. If an ant is so injured that it will be a cripple for life, theant surgeons do not prolong its pain and sufferings but immediately put theant to death. If only a leg is broken or injured, the limb is usually amputated and the patient carries on a usual. There are even beauty specialists and masseurs in an ant colony. After a long, hard day at work these ants will comb, smooth, massage, and clean the others and research indicates the ants show every symptom of enjoying the process.

Even though the ants carry natural combs on their legs, they sometimes prefer to be brushed and beautified by other ants (Verrill, 1937). There are two main species of ants in America that plan special slaver aids. These ants are the Shing Slave Workers and the Sanguine Slave Makers. They are red ants and raid the burrows of the black ant. Before the Sanguine Slave Makers go to battle, 4 they get very excited. Researchers report an unusual circumstance during this ritual-no single ant is the identifiable leader.

Yet, their plans are generally understood. When the ants are assembled, they set out for a definite place, usually a hundred yards or more away (Zim, 1956). When the reds set out on their attack, the black ant seems to know thatthe y are coming. Sentinels are posted, barricades are thrown up, and gates are barred. Black fighters are seen hurrying from below. Ants meet ants with only nature's weapons.

The fighting ants may lock jaws like bulldogs in a grip that cannot be broken. In the end, one side overcomes the other. The Reds are found to more likely be the winners. When they win, they will go inside the burrows of the blacks and take all the larvae and pupae that are on the way to ant hood.

Each warrior grabs a baby black and carries it home (Hutchins, 1966). The infant blacks are given the greatest care in the colonies of their capture. When grown, these ants are workers, but have all the privileges of citizenship. These ants live in the colony under identically the same conditions as the native workers.

The black ants are loyal and show no tendency to mutiny (Hutchins, 1966). There are thousands of species of ants, each with their own strange and unusual habits and human-like customs. It is strange to think that beneath our feet lives a tiny civilization much like our own.

Bibliography

Barker, Will. Familiar Insects of America. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1960.
Dupuy, William. Our Insect Friends and Foes. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Publishing Co., 1925 Hutchins, Ross.
Insects. Englewood, New Jersey: Prentiss Hall, Inc, 1966 Milne, Lorus and Margery.
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1980 O'Toole, Christopher.
Insects. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1987 Shuttlesworth, Dorothy.
Ant". Encarta Encyclopedia. 1996 CD-ROM ed.
Verrill, A. Hyatt. Strange Insects and Their Stories. Boston: L.C. Page & Co., 1937 Zim, Herbert.
A Guide to Familiar Insects. New York: Golden Press Inc., 1956 OUTLINE I.