Ants - The Social Insect
Ants are
really fascinating insects even though most people just think
of them as a nuisance.
They are
extremely hard workers and they have detailed colonies
underground. Each of the ants has a particular job to do, and
they do it very well. They are able to carry many times their
body weight and that has fascinated researchers for decades.
There are
more than 12,000 different species of ants out there and they
are found in locations all over the world. Some of them are
very small and brown in color. They tend not to be very harmful
at all. Other species of ants including the fire ants are
larger and they do bite. They will cause the skin to burn and
to become red and inflamed.
Ants are
able to communicate with each other in a variety of different
ways. They give off a type of chemical called pheromones that
allow them to send and interpret messages to each other. They
also communicate using their keen sense of smell that occurs
with the use of their antennas. Researchers have been able to
identify may learned behaviors among ants that are similar to
how humans learn from each other.
For the
most part, ants are harmless but they will bite and attack if
they feel threatened. It can be very difficult to get rid of
ants once they have invaded your home. It is fascinating to
watch them though. They march in a straight line and you may
see a group of them going out with food and more coming in to
get them. There are some very simple ways to get rid of them
without poison though. You can draw a line on window sills with
chalk. They won’t cross that chalk line and they will stay
outdoors.
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