Odd Bug Facts | Odd Facts

According to studies there are something like 20,000 Ant species in the world. Ants are strong and hard working and have been around for a long time. Research suggests that an Ant fossil was found in the state of New Jersey in the United States and it was dated to be 92 million years old. So this suggests that Ants roamed with the dinosaurs.

Ants at Work

Life of an Ant
An Ant can lift some 20 times its own body weight. Ants are very protective and they will fight and it is usually to the death. An Ant goes through four stages of life and those stages are: egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Ants grow-up really fast and lead a very busy and fast-paced life. On the average an ant can live anywhere from 45-60 days.

Anatomy of an Ant

What does the Ant Colony contain?
An Ant colony is made-up of three different types of Ants and those are: Workers which are females and are usually the only Ants seen outside the colony, Soldiers and their primary job is to protect the Queen, and a Queen Ant. The Queen Ant is the only Ant capable of reproduction. In fact, a Queen Ant can live for many years and over that span of time will produce millions of babies. The Queen Ant is vital to any Ant Colony and without her the chances of survival might be a few months.

Ant Colony

Do Ants help humans and the environment? Yes. Ants (a.k.a Janitors of the World) are Carnivores and they feed on small insects (dead or alive), which in turn help to keep the population of those pesky little insects under control. Their digging also helps to pollinate plants.

Giant Ant Colony

Additional Facts:

• A male Ant with wings is known as a drone and there are only a few in a colony.
• Ants don’t bring through lungs because they don’t have lungs. An Ant is able to inhale oxygen through tiny holes that are located all over the body.
• Ants always leave a trail they can follow, therefore they never get lost.
• Ants don’t have ears but they can hear by using their feet to feel vibrations through the ground.
• A Queen Ant has wings and can fly but she sheds her wings when a new nest is formed.
• There are some places in the world where people eat Ants because they are a good source or protein.

Queen Ant and Drone

Some types of Ants:

• Argentina Ants
• Carpenter Ants
• Odorous House Ants
• Pavement Ants
• Red Imported Fire Ants (*Note: This is the most aggressive of the Ant Species and they should be avoided because they have a bite that really stings.)