Country life
Photo: Ants by Penny Frith
10 things you didn’t know about
Did you know that there are around 1 million ants for every 1
human in the world? Here’s the Wildlife Trust’s guide to 10 things
you probably didn’t know about these incredible insects.
• There are estimated to be over 60
species of ant in Britain, with 27
species found here on the Isle of
Wight. • Ants communicate via chemical
signals, leaving a trail of
pheromones to alert other ants to
food sources or danger.
• Ants are social insects and live
in colonies. A colony is made
up of three kinds of ant: one or
more egg-laying queens; a large
number of female ‘worker’ ants
and male ‘drones’. Worker ants
tend to the queen, build and
maintain the nest, forage for food
and care for the young whereas
the only function of male ants is
to mate with the queen. • Each ant colony has its own
distinctive smell so intruders can
be detected instantly.
• Only queen and male ants have
wings. Mating takes place during
flight, after which the male will die
and the queen will shed her wings
and start a new nest. • Ants are farmers! Just like humans
raise cows, sheep and chickens as
a food source, ants do the same
with aphids. Black garden ants
are expert aphid farmers, not
only tending and protecting the
• Ants don’t have ears. Ants “hear”
by feeling vibrations in the ground
which are picked up by an organ
located below the knee.
• Depending on the species, an ant
can lift 10-50 times its own body
weight.
Ants...
aphids in exchange for the sugary
honeydew they excrete but also
moving the aphids to new healthy
plants to ensure their continued
survival.
• A number of blue butterfly
species, like Adonis, common and
chalkhill blue butterflies, have a
symbiotic relationship with ants.
They secrete substances that ants
find attractive and in return the
ants protect the caterpillar from
predators and parasites.
• Some ants are slave makers! The
blood red ant is a social parasite
on smaller black ant species; they
raid the nests of other species and
either take over their nest or steal
larva to carry out tasks on their
behalf.
Discover more with your local Wildlife Trust www.hiwwt.org.uk
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