Ants
There are more than 12,000 species around the world.
Species commonly found in Singapore
1. Ghost ants, Tapinoma melanocephalum
2. Crazy ants, Paratrechina longicornis
3. Pharaoh ants, Monomorium pharaonis
4. Weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina
An ant’s life cycle is a complete metamorphosis. A egg hatches to become a soft legless white larvae. Eventually emerging as an adult ant. This development takes about 4 to 8 weeks.
Ants are social insects. The queen ant lays eggs. The workers ants hunt for food, defend and maintain the nest. The workers will share the food throughout the entire colony. This process is called trophollaxis.
Interesting facts about ants
- Ants do not have ears. They “hear” by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.
- When ants fight, it is usually to the death!
- When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so they know where they’ve been.
- Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest.
- Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body.
- When the queen of the colony dies. The colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.