Interesting facts about ants

Imagine that someone is organising a new game show. Quite by chance, it could be called… “Ant Experts”. Is your knowledge of ants sufficient to take part in it? Would it allow you to win the top prize? In today’s material, we have attempted to ask some sometimes non-obvious questions about ants – so you can organise your own quiz at home, completely free of charge. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee any prizes, but we can guarantee good fun and a huge dose of knowledge!Imagine that someone is organising a new game show. Quite by chance, it could be called… “Ant Experts”. Is your knowledge of ants sufficient to take part in it? Would it allow you to win the top prize? In today’s material, we have attempted to ask some sometimes non-obvious questions about ants – so you can organise your own quiz at home, completely free of charge. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee any prizes, but we can guarantee good fun and a huge dose of knowledge!

Are ants useful?

Every true enthusiast knows that ants are beneficial and their presence in the ecosystem is essential. These insects are responsible for cleaning organic waste from nature.

In nature, species such as harvester ants are also responsible for spreading seeds. In addition, by building anthills, these insects loosen the soil, providing it with essential nitrogen and other elements.

How many ants are there in the world? How many ants are there per person?

Is it possible to count how many ants there are in the world? It is certainly impossible to do so with complete accuracy, but estimates made a few years ago suggest that there are approximately 2.5 million ants per human being. This results in around 20 quadrillion insects!

Scientists have estimated that there are around 3 trillion living creatures, with the total biomass of ants, including dead insects and organic remains, accounting for up to 20 trillion.

And finally, the answer to this question: the total weight of these 20 quadrillion ants is equivalent to 12 megatons of dry coal. It’s hard to believe that something so small, but in such quantities, can be so heavy, isn’t it?

How many species of ants are there?

This question must also be answered based on estimates, according to which there are approximately 16,000 known species of ants in the world. However, that is not all – researchers cautiously suggest that there are probably as many as 20,000 species, but some have not yet been discovered.

In Poland alone, there are around 100 different species of ants.

What do ants eat?

Don’t know what ants eat? These insects are not particularly picky, as in nature they eat everything they find, but for the purposes of keeping ants at home, it is worth taking a closer look at this topic.

The ant’s diet must include carbohydrates – these can be supplied with honey or nectar, but also with fresh fruit. The second important nutrient is protein, which is usually sourced from feed insects.

We would also like to remind you that ants are not camels – they need to drink! Provide water or dilute honey so that the insects can hydrate properly.

Do ants sleep?

Do ants sleep at night? Or at other times? They are extremely hard-working insects, and when observing a nest, one might conclude that ants work non-stop – but this is only an impression.

In fact, ants rest, although in a slightly different way than humans or animals. They do not sleep in one long cycle, but instead take shorter, several-minute naps every few hours. As a result, they still sleep up to 9 hours in total (well, the queen sleeps that much, while the other ants have 5-6 hours of sleep per day).

Do ants hibernate during winter?

Yes and no – as usual, much depends on the species of ant and where they live. It is also worth knowing that ants do not hibernate, but they do go into a state of suspended animation.

Hibernation of ants, whether in domestic breeding or in nature, allows them to rest and slow down their metabolism so that (in natural conditions) they can survive without access to food. In the case of home breeding, ant hibernation is not entirely environmentally determined, but is a “genetic” legacy from their free-living ancestors.

Where do ants live?

Actually, where do ants live? Both in nature and in artificial conditions, ants live in anthills, or nests. There, they form very complex communities in which each insect performs an assigned role.

Nests can be built in the form of mounds (anthills), but they are also created in abandoned tree hollows or even in rock crevices. At home, ants should be provided with a limited space for nesting – in the form of a formicarium.

How do ants build an anthill?

Ants can build nests in various ways, depending on the species and habitat. In nature, insects use whatever materials they can find – sticks, leaves or moss particles – to build their anthill. The anthill itself is often a multi-level nest, separated by hollow passages.

Ants also take care of the safety of the anthill. They create special channels to drain water so that it does not flood the interior of the mound. The nest also has a separate place for laying eggs and raising young, as well as a ‘pantry’ for storing supplies.

Czy królowa mrówek jest tylko jedna?

Many people believe that there is only one queen ant. However, it turns out that among some species, there are colonies in which many queens successfully live together, utilising the phenomenon of polygyny.

In such nests, ant queens function without any additional difficulties – the workers care for each of them and their eggs with equal diligence.

Do ants have brains?

Of course, ants have brains! And, considering the size of the insect itself, it is quite a large organ – while the ratio of brain weight to body weight in humans is about 1/40, in ants it is as high as 1/7!

The tiny brain of an ant has enormous capabilities in this regard and is capable of encoding very complex behaviours, mainly social ones.

Zombie ants – can a fungus take control of an insect?

Now that we have touched upon the subject of ant brains, it may be worth taking a closer look at a certain fungus that is capable of taking control of these little minds, creating zombie ants!

The predatory fungus Ophiocordyceps has found a rather cruel way to spread its spores. When it encounters an ant (falling on it from tree leaves), it never leaves it, but instead begins to parasitise it, or rather feed on it – because it gradually eats it from the inside.

At some point, the ant, no longer fully conscious of its existence, voluntarily separates itself from the colony and then climbs up a tree. At a certain height, in a position corresponding to the parasite itself, the insect dies – the fungus literally bites through its head and begins to grow on the plant, from which, once mature, it again releases spores that infect other ants. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it?

Czy mrówki czują ból?

Research into the issue of pain perception in insects, including ants, is still ongoing. Until recently, it was believed that insects do not necessarily feel pain in the same way as mammals, for example, but rather react to stimuli that warn them of danger (this is known as nociception).

According to various experiments conducted on insect behaviour (including flies, bumblebees and cockroaches), it has been established that they can feel pain very similarly to humans! Among other things, scientific criteria have been established to assess whether a creature’s nervous system is capable of sensing pain stimuli – out of 8 different points, ants meet as many as 4 of them.

How do ants communicate?

We may disappoint you a little, but ants do not talk to each other, for example while working. As far as we know, they do not write letters either (although the fact that no one has ever seen ants carrying an envelope to the post office does not prove anything!). Instead, ants use a complex mechanism of communicating with their antennae!

Ant antennae are extremely sensitive, not only to touch, but also to taste and smell. But that’s not all – ants also use scent communication, leaving pheromone trails in places where they find food so that other insects in the colony can also find it.

Do ants bite?

You should know that ants produce a special protective substance – formic acid. They use it in dangerous situations. In such moments, an ant can actually bite, or, more precisely, cut the skin with its mandibles. It then injects the aforementioned acid into the wound, causing local inflammation.

Although an ant bite can be somewhat painful, it should not pose a threat to health. However, this does not mean that such incidents should be ignored. It is worth keeping an eye on the wound, especially if a small child or someone with allergies has been bitten. Prevention is best, which means treating your ants in such a way that they do not feel threatened and do not try to defend themselves.

Do ants pee?

Like any living organism, even a tiny ant must occasionally “go to the loo” to expel waste products. However, the term “go to the loo” takes on a specific meaning when it comes to ants!

But first, let’s answer the question: do ants pee? It turns out that insects do not urinate as we humans understand it. Instead, they excrete complex faeces, which contain the remains of digested food and water (this is similar to birds, which excrete what is known as “caecal faeces”).

Ants are also extremely clean and take care of their sanitation. Their nests may contain special chambers where ants go to relieve themselves. In addition, the substances they excrete are actually very rich in a number of components, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This, in turn, makes ant faeces a valuable fertiliser for the environment, enriching the soil.

We hope you enjoyed this overview of the most important facts about ants. Perhaps you have some questions that are not included in this list? We look forward to hearing your suggestions!