Army ants. Weaver Ants

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1 Army ants Army ants live in the hot jungles of Africa and Central and South America. There can be millions of ants in a single colony. There isn t enough food in one place to feed the army ants huge colonies! They march around the jungle floor searching for food. They attack small animals and other insects that cross their paths. Working together, they sting their prey. They use their strong jaws and sharp teeth to cut into it. Then they share the food. Army ants do not build nests. They stay in a different place every night. They form a kind of living net. They use their strong claws to hook their long legs and bodies together. They rest in a huge ball. In the morning they separate and go on the hunt again. Army ants do not always march in a straight line. Sometimes they march in a fan shape. There are no real leaders. One group of ants will lead for a short distance. Then another group crowds to the front and takes over. This push of ants from behind keeps the ants moving forward. Weaver Weaver ants make their nests in trees. These ants live in the jungles of Africa, Asia and Australia. One colony of weaver ants often lives in four or five trees. There may be half a million in a colony. Weaver ants make their nests by pulling several leaves together to form a pocket. One group lines up on the edge of

2 the leaf. These ants hold onto the leaf with the rear of their feet. Then they grab a nearby leaf with their jaws. If the distance is too great, the workers form chains. Each ants holds onto the waist of the ant in front of it. While this group of ants hold the leaf edges together, another group brings out the larvae. Each worker ant gently holds the larva in its jaws. The larva lets out a small bit of silk that sticks to the leaf s edge. The worker carries the larva to the edge of the second leaf. This draws out the silk from the larva like a thread and binds the two leaves together. The nest, hanging from the branches, looks like a leafy cocoon. Weaver eat any small creatures that they can find. But their favorite food is nectar, or honeydew from flowers. Leafcutter Leafcutter ants live in rain forests in Central and South America. They live in huge underground colonies with many millions of ants. Leafcutter ants are large ants that have long legs. They can be between a half an inch to an inch long. Leafcutter ants are sometimes orange, red or black. Leafcutter ants are not friends to farmers. These ants can carry away all the leaves on a young tree overnight! These worker ants use their strong mandibles to cut out pieces of

3 leaves. They carry these pieces over their heads. A leafcutter ant can carry almost ten times its own weight. The ants form long lines leading to their underground nests. When they return to the nest they chew up the leaves and store them underground. Eventually a fungus grows on the leaf part and provides food for the community. The ants don t eat the leaves,they eat the fungus. Harvester Harvester ants live in dry, sandy, desert areas. They use their mandibles to dig underground nests. Their nest is made of lots of rooms and tunnels. The ants pile leftover dirt and sand around the entrance. Plants rarely grow near a harvester-ant mound. That is because the ants collect all the seeds. The ants store the seeds in small underground rooms. They keep them in a special room called a granary until they need them for food. These harvesters make a special ant s bread. Workers take the stored seeds and use their jaws to tear off the seed coverings. Then they chew the kernels to make a mash. Then they add saliva and mix it up. Harvester ants are red or black. Their bodies are usually about one third of an inch long. They have long legs. Harvester ants are know to have a painful sting.

4 Carpenter Carpenter ants can be found in Oregon, Washington, California and other parts of the United States. These black and red ants are about one fourth of an inch long. Carpenter ants make their nests in the trunks and branches of trees. They use their powerful jaws to carve out tunnels and chambers. Carpenter ants do not eat the wood they remove while they are making their nests. They take it outside the entrance and leave it in small piles. Carpenter ants like their tunnel and chambers to be smooth and clean. When carpenter ants nest in the wood of a house, rather than the rotting trees that are their natural homes, they can do a lot of damage. This is why people don t like them. If the ants don t eat wood, what do they eat? They eat honeydew from aphids, other insects, rotting fruit and other plant material. Honeypot Honeypot ants live in underground nests. They can be found in deserts around the world. During cool, wet weather, the worker ants gather a sweet liquid called honeydew from flowers and other insects. They store it in their crops, or second stomach, until they are back in the nest. There they spit the honeydew into the mouths of large, young workers. These workers are called repletes.

5 Repletes crops stretch and stretch as they fill with honeydew. The repletes become so big that they can t move. During hot, dry weather, honeydew is hard to find. The hungry workers go to the repletes. A replete will spit up honeydew into a hungry worker s mouth. This food source is very tempting to other ants. Sometimes honeypot nests are raided by other ants who steal the repletes.

6 Ant Location Nests Food Interesting Facts

7 Ant Location Nests Food Interesting Facts Army Hot jungles of Africa, Central and South America Army ants don't make a nest. They hook their bodies together at night. They rest in a huge ball in a new place each night. Small animals, other insects Army ants push themselves along as they march. They march in straight lines, and fan shapes. They sting their prey. They use their strong jaws and sharp teeth to cut it. They share the food. Weaver Leaf Cutter Jungles of Africa, Asia and Australia Rainforests of Central and South America Their nests are in trees. They use leaves to make pockets. The leaves are "sewed" together from a silky thread from the larva. Huge underground colonies Weaver eat any small creatures that they can find, but they really like nectar. Fungus that grows in leaves they have cut and stored in their nest. The nest looks like a leafy cocoon. The larva helps the worker make the nest. A colony may be in four or five trees. Half a million ants may be in a colony. They're are farmers! They grow their own food (fungus) underground.can carry ten times its own weight. Can be between a half and one inch long. Can take all the leaves off of a tree in one day. Harvester Dry, sandy deserts. Underground nests with lots of rooms and tunnels. They pile dirt around the opening of their nest. They make a special bread from seeds and saliva. They store the seeds in their nest. They chew the seeds and mix it with their saliva. Plants don't grow around the nests because they have taken all the seeds. They are red or black. They have a painful sting. Carpenter Oregon, California and Washington They like rotting tree trunks and branches best. They sometimes nest in homes. They take the wood chips out of the nest and leave small piles outside. Insects, rotting fruit, honeydew from aphids and plants. They can cause a lot of damage to your home. They don't eat wood, but they chew tunnels and chambers in the wood. They like smooth clean nests. Honeypot Deserts all over the world Underground nests. Honeydew from flowers and other insects. Stored honeydew. A worker, called a replete stores the honeydew in their crop. When food is scarce they spit the stored into a hungry worker's mouth. Other animals sometimes steal the repletes.