Some More Ant Facts!
Did you know that Ants can lift up to 6 – 10 times their own body weight? They are then capable of carrying this load over obstacles, up inclines, for considerable distances. This makes them one of the strongest creatures on earth, at least relative to their size. Some estimates would say that it takes almost half a million ants to make one pound in weight, an incredible statistic when one then considers that the combined weight of all the ants on the planet actually exceeds that of humans! It will therefore come as no surprise to learn that ants outnumber all other animals in the world today.
Ants combine superior intelligence with an advanced social structure which has enabled them to survive for millions of years in a wide variety of different habitats – indeed ants are just as happy in a city apartment as in a jungle swamp, provided they have access to food and water. Ants have even been known to have been found on board airplanes! Observing a single ant only provides a small clue as to the level of group intelligence behind it. One ant may be busy dragging a piece of food significantly larger than itself whilst another is following a scent trail leading to a water source. This trail will then be marked for others to read and follow. Ants have a very sophisticated method of communication so that whenever the colony requires something, a message goes out and the worker ants tell the scouts what is required. The scout ants then go off in search of whatever was required (ie. food) and when they manage to locate it they then relay that message back to the colony, at which stage the worker ants will then go off en masse to fetch the required items. Impressive or what!
Finally, please try and remember that although we regard ants as pests, they actually play a very important role in the plant kingdom. Rather than pests – try and think of them as ‘nature’s gardeners’! When confined within suitable boundaries, ants perform many functions which are vital not only to the plant world, but to all living creatures. Ants show us the importance of the balance of nature and serve as useful indicators to inform us when there is a balance and when there isn’t. When it comes to getting rid of ants it is important to bear in mind that to eliminate ants completely is not only unrealistic and unnatural but would also lead to a great deal of damage. The real solution lies not in seeking to eradicate ants off the face of the earth, but in learning to control them. Furthermore, we would suggest the use of organic methods of ant control over toxic chemicals when seeking a safe, environmentally friendly method of ant control.
Video extract courtesy of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Television:
Ant Fact Snippets from the Blogosphere:
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ANTS. Like all insects, ants have six legs. Each leg has three joints. The legs of the ant are very strong.
Ants are known to be very adaptable insects capable of living in the harshest habitats all over the world. An ant colony, which can have inhabitants of more than a million , has three classes of “citizenry”: the workers, the soldiers.
Interesting Ant Facts. Some researchers say that fire ants have an internal “compass” created by eating tiny bits of mineral called magnetite, allowing them to navigate.
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