蚂蚁

不同的蚁型有不同的分工。蚂蚁一般都会在地下筑巢，地下巢穴的规模非常大。蚂蚁是大力士,据力学家测定，一只蚂蚁能够举起超过自身体重400倍的东西，还能够拖运超过自身体重1700倍的物体。蚂蚁与人类关系密切,很多可以用作药物，且具有神奇的作用。

The ant is the most common and the most largest numbers of social insect species. There are more than 12,000 identified types of ants species all over the world,and Some of them is extremely toxic.Generally, Its body 's length is between 0.5 mm to 3 cm, There are many colors, such as black, brown, yellow, red and so on.The body wall is elastic, smooth and hairy. Ants have a very long life,and the female and male are in difference.The ants will generally build their home in the underground, and the size of the underground chamber is very big .They can live in the place in any of the conditions where they live, and there is no doubt that they are to be the most strongest creatures in fighting against the natural disasters in the world.At the same time,the ant is the strongman,and an ant can raise 20 times more than the weight of itself . it is worthwhile to say,the ant is close with human,many of them have a special effect as medicines.All in all,there is a need that we should pay more attention to the ants.

Body

蚂蚁为典型的社会昆虫，具有社会昆虫的3大要素，即同种个体间能相互合作照顾幼体；具明确的劳动分工；在蚁群内至少二个世代重叠，且子代能在一段时间内照顾上一代。

The ant is the typical social insects, and it has three elements as the social insects, namely the same individual can cooperate and take care of the young; Different types of the ants with the different division of Labour and different class.the queen, the female workers, and males. The queen and the males have wings, while the workers don’t have wings. The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants and they do not live very long afterwards. Once the queen grows to adulthood, she spends the rest of her life laying eggs! Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens.Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space.

There are more than 12,000 identified types of ants species all over the world,we can find it all over the world, from the hottest deserts to the lush green rainforests.and Some of them is extremely toxic.Some of the better-known varieties are the army ants, driver ants, honeypot ants, weaver ants, leafcutter ants, fire ants, silver ants, and bulldog ants.The behavior of ants may vary according to their type.(http://ezinearticles.com/?Types-Of-Ants&id=428702)

Some ants' bite is Venomous but not vital,the World's Most Venomous Insect is the harvester ant,

The LD50 for harvester ant venom (in rodents) is 0.12 mg/kg.(http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/f/venominsect.htm)(http://ezinearticles.com/?Types-Of-Ants&id=428702).

蚂蚁是一种有社会性的生活习性的昆虫，属于膜翅目，蚂蚁的触角明显的膝状弯曲，腹部有一、二节呈结节状，一般都没有翅膀，只有雄蚁和没有生育的雌蚁在交配时有翅膀，雌蚁交配后翅膀即脱落。蚂蚁是完全变态型的昆虫，要经过卵、幼虫、蛹阶段才发展成成虫，蚂蚁的幼虫阶段没有任何能力，它们也不需要觅食，完全由工蚁喂养，工蚁刚发展为成虫的头几天，负责照顾蚁后和幼虫，然后逐渐地开始做挖洞、搜集食物等较复杂的工作，有的种类蚂蚁工蚁有不同的体型，个头大的头和牙也发展的大，经常负责战斗保卫蚁巢，也叫兵蚁。蚂蚁是人们常见的一类昆虫，很容易识别。一般体小（0.5mm-3cm），颜色有黑、褐、黄、红等，体壁具弹性，光滑或有毛。口器咀嚼式，上颚发达。触角膝状，4~13节，柄节很长，末端2~3节膨大。腹部第1节或1、2节呈结状。有翅或无翅。前足的距大，梳状，为净角器（清理触角用）。为多态型的社会昆虫。据估计，仅有大约半数的蚂蚁——目前约为11700种——被描述了。一个更大范围的蚂蚁区系研究也有待进行。常见的有小家蚁等。蚂蚁为典型的社会昆虫，具有社会昆虫的3大要素，即同种个体间能相互合作照顾幼体；具明确的劳动分工；在蚁群内至少二个世代重叠，且子代能在一段时间内照顾上一代。 蚁穴 蚂蚁绝对是建筑专家， 蚁穴内有许多分室，这些分室各有用处。 在沙漠中有一种蚂蚁，建的窝远看就如一座城堡， 有4.5米之高。那些窝废弃之后，就会被一些动物拿来当自己的窝了，它们的4.5米就相当于人类的4500米。 一般蚁穴中心的地方都是给蚁王住的，蚁王任务就是吃东西，交配，生孩子。蚁窝牢固、安全、舒服，道路四通八达。蚂蚁窝外面还有一圈土。 还有一些储备食物的地方，里面通风、凉快、冬暖夏凉，不怕食物容易坏掉。

蚂蚁目前有21亚科283属（主流沿用的是16亚科的分类系统和21亚科的系统相比，新的系统从猛蚁亚科中分出了若干亚科）。一般体形小，颜色有黑、褐、黄、红等，体壁具弹性，光滑或有毛。口器咀嚼式，上颚发达。触角膝状，4~13节，柄节很长，末端2~3节膨大。腹部第1节或1、2节呈结状。分有翅或无翅。前足的距离大，梳状，为净角器（清理触角用）。蚂蚁的外部形态分头、胸、腹三部分，有六条腿。蚂蚁卵约0.5毫米长，呈不规则的椭圆形，乳白色，幼虫蠕虫状半透明。工蚁体形细小，身体长约2.8毫米，全身棕黄，单个蚂蚁要细看才易发现。雄、雌蚁体都比较粗大。腹部肥胖，头、胸棕黄色，腹部前半部棕黄色，后半部棕褐色。雄蚁体长约5.5毫米。雌蚁体长约6.2毫米。室内环境常见的蚂蚁有法老蚁、小黄家蚁等。 编辑本段分布范围 蚂蚁是地球上最常见的昆虫，数量最多的昆虫种类。由于各种蚂蚁都是社会性生活的群体，在古代通称“蚁”。据现代形态科学分类，蚂蚁属于蜂类。 蚂蚁能生活在任何有它们生存条件的地方，是世界上抗击自然灾害能力最强的生物。为多态型的社会昆虫。据估计，目前仅有大约半数的蚂蚁——目前约为11700种。一个更大范围的蚂蚁区系研究有待进行。中国国内已确定的蚂蚁种类有600多种。蚂蚁属于节肢动物门，昆虫纲，膜翅目，蚁

科。目前，中国居室内常见的蚂蚁主要有以下三种：小黄家蚁，大头蚁，洛氏路舍蚁。

生活

蚂蚁住房

蚂蚁一般都会在地下筑巢，地下巢穴的规模非常大。它有着良好的排水、通风措施。一般工蚁负责建造巢穴。而出入口大多是一个拱起的小土丘，像火山那样中间有个洞。其次也有用来通风的洞口。巢穴里的每个房间都有明确分类。 它们也喜欢潮湿温暖的土壤。 它们通常生活在干燥的地区，但鲜为人知的是，它们能勉强在水中存活两个星期。

The ants will generally build their home in the underground, and the size of the underground chamber is very big,It has a good drainage and ventilation measures.In

general, Male ant are responsible for the building of the nest.The entrance is mostly a small mound and it looks like like a volcano,a hole in the middle.there also has the hole used as ventilation.At the same time,They also like warm moist soil.They usually live in dry areas, but it is little-known that they can survive two weeks in water barely .

蚂蚁寿命

蚂蚁的寿命很长，工蚁可生存几星期至3-7年，蚁后则可存活十几年或几十年，甚至50多年。一个蚁巢在1个地方可生长1--10年。

蚁型与分工

蚂蚁发育为完全变异形态。所有的蚁科都过社会性群体生活。一般在一个群体里有四种不同的蚁型。 1．蚁后：有生殖能力的雌性，或称母蚁，又称蚁王，在群体中体型最大，特别是腹部大，生殖器官发达，触角短，胸足小，有翅、脱翅或无翅。主要职责是产卵、繁殖后代和统管这个群体大家庭。 2．雄蚁：或称父蚁。头圆小，上颚不发达，触角细长。有发达的生殖器官和外生殖器，主要职能是与蚁后交配。 3．工蚁：又称职蚁。无翅，是不发育的雌性，一般为群体中最小的个体，但数量最多。复眼小，单眼极微小或无。上颚、触角和三对胸足都很发达，善于步行奔走。工蚁没有生殖能力。工蚁的主要职责是建造和扩大巢穴、采集食物、饲喂幼虫及蚁后等。 4．兵蚁：“兵蚁”是对某些蚂蚁种类的大工蚁的俗称，是没有生殖能力的雌蚁。头大，上颚发达，可以粉碎坚硬食物，在保卫群体时即成为战斗的武器 蚂蚁建立群体，也是以通过婚飞方式两性相识结交为起点。相识后一见钟情，在飞行中或飞行后交尾。“新郎”寿命不长。 蚂蚁交尾后不久死亡留下“遗孀”蚁后独自过着孤单生活。蚁后脱掉翅膀，在地下选择适宜的土质和场所筑巢。她“孤家寡人”，力量有限，只能暂时造一小室，作为安身之地，并使已“受孕”的身体有个产房。待体内的卵发育成熟产出后，小幼虫孵化出世，蚁后就忙碌起来。每个幼蚁的食物都由她嘴对嘴地喂给，直到这些幼蚁长大发育为成蚁，并可独立生活时为止。当第一批工蚁长成时，它们便挖开通往外界的洞口去寻找食物，随后又扩大巢穴建筑面积，为越来越多的家族成员提供住房。自此以后，饱受艰苦的蚁后就坐享清福，成为这个群体大家族的统帅。抚育幼蚁和喂养蚁后的工作均由工蚁承担。但蚁后还要继续产卵，以繁殖大家

族。蚁巢有各种形式，大多数种类在地下土中筑巢，挖有隧道、小室和住所，并将掘出的物

质及叶片堆积在入口附近，形成小丘状，起保护作用。也有的蚁用植物叶片、茎秆、叶柄等筑成纸样巢挂在树上或岩石间。还有的蚁生活在林区朽木中。更为特殊的是，有的蚁将自己的巢筑在别的种类蚁巢之中或旁边；而两“家”并不发生纠纷，能够做到和睦相处。这种蚁巢叫做混合性蚁巢，实为异种共栖。无论不同的蚁类或同种的蚁，其一个巢内蚁的数目均可有很大的差别。最小的群体只有几十只或近百只蚁，也有的几千只蚁，而大的群体可以有几万只，甚至更多的蚁。 在中国华南一带的阔叶林中，还有一种翘尾蚁，顾名思义，就是它那带有螯针的尾端常翘起来，随时准备进攻的样子。它有种怪脾气，经常与树打交道。它喜欢用叼来的腐质物以及从树上啃下来的老树皮，再搀杂上从嘴里吐出来的粘性汁液，在树上筑成足球大的巢，巢内分成许多层次，分别住着雄蚁、蚁后和工蚁，并在巢中生儿育女，成为一个\"独立王国\"。开始时一树一巢，当群体过大，而且又有新的蚁后出生时，新蚁后便带领部分工蚁另造新居。有时为争夺领域，常展开一场恶斗。为了在树上捕捉其他小虫为食，它可用细长而有力的足在树冠的枝叶上奔跑。如两树相距较近，为免去长途奔波之劳，它们能巧妙地互相咬住

团结的蚂蚁

后足，垂吊下来，借风飘荡，摇到另一棵树上去，搭成一条\"蚁索桥\"。为了能较长久地连接两树之间的通途，承担搭桥任务的工蚁还能不断替换。树上的食物捕尽，又结队顺树而下，长途奔袭，捕捉地面上的小动物。猎物一旦被擒获，翘尾蚁便会用螯针注入麻醉液，使猎物处于昏迷状态，然后拉的拉，拽的拽，即使是一只超过它们体重百倍的螳螂或蚯蚓，也能被它们轻而易举地拖回巢中。 蚁类的食性在不同亚科和不同种类之间有很大的差别。一般可分为肉食性、植食性和杂食性。蚂蚁在一年中的大部分时间里都在辛勤地劳动。那么到了严寒的冬天它们又到哪里去觅食呢?它们是如何过冬的呢?原来聪明的蚂蚁在入冬之前早有准备。它们首先搬运杂草种子，准备明年播种用；同时搬 蚂蚁运蚜虫、介壳虫、角蝉和灰蝶幼虫等到自己巢内过冬，从这些昆虫身上吸取排泄物做为食料（奶蜜）。蚂蚁为什么知道冬天快来了呢?从现代科学的观点看，蚂蚁的这种本能是受它们体内的年生物钟控制而起作用的，换句话说，它们是按照年生物钟的运行规律做好越冬期食物储备的。 与蚂蚁互动形成的生物达到了惊人的程度。与蚂蚁共生的生物，或专性或间性，植物超过了52科465种，动物则达到了数千种，还有大量未知的真菌和微生物。 蚂蚁正在使用着非凡的生存策略——种植真菌，收获种子，放牧产蜜昆虫，编制巢穴，合作捕食，社会性寄生，蓄奴——这些都极大地刺激着科学家和公众的好奇心。

蚂蚁在世界各个角落都能存活，其秘诀就在于它们生活在一个非常有组织的群体中。

它们一起工作，一起建筑巢穴，使它们的卵与后代能在其中安全成长。 蚂蚁有不同的类型，每一类都有其专门的职责。蚁后产卵，大部分卵将发育成雌性，它们被称为工蚁。它们负责建筑并保卫巢穴，照顾蚁后、卵和幼虫，以及搜寻食物。到了一定的时候，雄蚁与新的蚁后会产生出来。它们有翅膀，从巢穴里集群飞出。交配以后，雄蚁即死去，新的蚁后则开始领导起又一个群体的生活。 在群体中，蚁后是最重要的成员。它是唯一能产卵的。这意味着它是这一群体中所有蚂蚁的母亲。工蚁喂养它，替它清洁身体，并将它的卵带到另一处去照料。 某些澳大利亚蚂蚁将它们的工蚁作为一种活的储藏罐。当工蚁采集了大量的花蜜，即一种源自花中的甜甜的液体，将它吞进体内、身体变得膨大起来之后，它们就将自身挂在巢穴的天花板上，一直到有别的蚂蚁需要食用它们体内储藏的那些花蜜为止。 兵蚁正在林地上觅食。为搜寻食物，它们有时会在林地上排成长队。它们总是很饥饿，因此几乎会向任何东西发起进攻，有时甚至是大的哺乳动物。 不同的蚂蚁吃不同的食物。

收获蚁吃种子，它们将种子收藏在地窖里；而割叶蚁吃蘑菇，它们将叶片搬运到地下，用来培植蘑菇。有些蚂蚁则贮存一种叫蚜虫的昆虫，它们从蚜虫体内抽取一种含糖的物质作为食物，这同人类从母牛身上挤奶的方式非常相似。 根据科学家的研究证明，蚂蚁在洞穴里缺少糖份，对自己的生长发育很不好，为了能够找到充分的糖份，所以蚂蚁一旦发现甜的东西，触角就会自主的硬起来，这是蚂蚁的一个天性。 蚂蚁是社会性很强的昆虫，彼此通过身体发出的信息素来进行交流沟通，当蚂蚁找到食物时，会在食物上撒布信息素，别的蚂蚁就会本能地把有信息素的东西拖回洞里去。 当蚂蚁死掉后，它身上的信息素依然存在，当有别的蚂蚁路过时，会被信息素吸引，但是死蚂蚁不会像活的蚂蚁那样跟对方交流信息（互相触碰触角），于是它带有信息素的尸体就会被同伴当成食物搬运回去。 通常情况下，那样的尸体不会被当成食物吃掉，因为除了信息素以外，每一窝的蚂蚁都有自己特定的识别气味，有相同气味的东西不会受到攻击，这就是同窝的蚂蚁可以很好协作的基础。 蚂蚁在行进的过程中，会分泌一种信息素，这种信息素会引导后面的蚂蚁走相同的路线。如果我们用手划过蚂蚁的行进队伍，干扰了蚂蚁的信息素，蚂蚁就会失去方向感，到处乱爬。

所以我们不要随便干扰它们。 蚂蚁

的显微照片 蚂蚁为典型的社会昆虫，具有社会昆虫的3大要素，即同种个体间能相互合作照顾幼体；具明确的劳动分工系统；且子代能在一段时间内照顾上一代。 另外要指出的，“白蚁”不是蚂蚁，白蚁除了与蚂蚁一样具有社会生活习性外，在生理结构上和蚂蚁有很大的差别。 生物的行为是指生物体进行的在外部可以察觉得到的有适应意义的活动。行为学就是研究这些活动的学科。形态和行为首先被人们注意，但是直到19世纪人们才获得生物行为研究的理论武器和实验手段。进化论学说将动物的行为提高到了适应性层次。 目前对生物行为的归类非常混乱。从遗传和发育的角度一般将其分为先天行为和后天行为，也就是本能行为和学习行为。但这种分类方法并不常用，人们一般按照行为的功能对其划分，遗憾的是这种划分方式并不严格，存在大量的重叠区域o。

编辑本段蚂蚁的力气

蚂蚁为什么会有比自身大很多倍的力气？ 蚂蚁是动物界的小动物，可是它有很大的力气。如果你称一下蚂蚁的体重和它所搬运物体的重量，你就会感到十分惊讶！它所举起的重量，竟超过它的体重差不多有100倍。世界上从来没有一个人能够举起超过他本身体重3倍的重量，从这个意义上说，蚂蚁的力气比人的力气大得多了。这个大力士的力量是从哪里来的呢？ 看来，这似乎是一个有趣的“谜”。科学家进行了大量实验研究后，终于揭穿了这个“谜”。原来，蚂蚁脚爪里的肌肉是一个效率非常高的“原动机”，比航空发动机的效率还要高好几倍，因此能产生相当大的力量。the muscle in Ant's claw

is a highly efficient \"prime mover\it is more effective than the aviation engine over several times higher, therefore it can produce considerable force.

我们知道，任何一台发动机都需要有一定的燃料，如汽油、柴油、煤油或其他重油。但是，供给“肌肉发动机”的是一种特殊的燃料。这种“燃料”并不燃烧，却同样能够把潜藏的能量释放出来转变为机械能。不燃烧也就没有热损失，效率自然就大大提高。化学家们已经知道了这种特殊“燃料”的成分，它是一种十分复杂的磷的化合物。这就是说，在蚂蚁的脚爪里，藏有几十亿台微妙的小电动机作为动力。这个发现，激起了科学家们的一个强烈愿望——制造类似的“人造肌肉发动机”。从发展前途来看，如果把蚂蚁脚爪那样有力而灵巧的自动设备用

到技术上，那将会引起技术的根本变革，那时电梯、At the same time,the ant is the

strongman,and an ant can raise 20 times more than the weight of itself .In order to explain this Phenomenon,the Scientists conducted experiments, they finally discovered this

\"mystery\".Originally, the muscle in Ant's claw is a highly efficient \"prime mover\it is more effective than the aviation engine over several times higher, therefore it can produce considerable force.

起重机和其他机器的面貌将焕然一新。现在我们用的起重机一般也是靠电动机工作的，但是作功的效率比起蚂蚁来可差远了。为什么呢？因为火力发电要靠烧煤，使水变成蒸汽，蒸汽推动叶轮，带动发电机发电。这中间经过了将化学能变为热能，热能变成机械能，机械能变成电能这么几个过程。在这些过程中，燃烧所产生的热能，有一部分白白地跑掉了，有一部分因为要克服机械转动所产生的摩擦力而消耗掉了，所以这种发动机效率很低，只有30～40%。而蚂蚁“发动机”利用肌肉里的特殊“燃料”直接变成电能，损耗很少，所以效率很高。人们从蚂蚁“发动机”中得到启发，制造出了一种将化学能直接变成电能的燃料电池。这种电池利用燃料进行氧化还原反应直接发电。它没有燃烧过程，所以效率很高，达到70～90%。

编辑本段蚂蚁不会迷路

蚂蚁是集群昆虫，过的是群体生活，它们各自都有自己的家。大多数蚂蚁的家是在地面以下的，在那里它们不易找到丰富的食物。 当天气晴暖的时候，我们常常看到一队队蚂蚁在地面上忙碌地爬行。若仔细观察，或你在它前方撒上一些面包屑时，你就会看到：当它们抵达食物所在地时，就开始搬运你为它们准备的美味了。若一只蚂蚁搬不动时，就会有两只、三只、或更多的蚂蚁一起上来，共同搬运。当它们得到食物后，除了充饥外，还会顺着它们的来路秩序井然地爬回它们的家里，将食物拖回贮存，供以后美餐。如果中途不发生意外的话，它们一般都能安全地回到家里。难道蚂蚁能认识路吗？它们就不会有迷路的时候吗？据实验证明，蚂蚁不但视觉极为敏锐，它们还可依靠嗅觉来辨认归途。不信，你可试一试，在它们取食的路上，你用手指划一些线，看它们是否能沿来路顺利地回家。[1]

蚂蚁的饲养

一.食性 了解所养的蚂蚁喜欢吃的东西、需要的营养才能喂饱它们并给予充分的养分增进蚁后生产！ 蚂蚁的食性简单的分有下列几项： 肉食、杂食偏肉食、杂食偏素食、素食

蚂蚁的语言

蚂蚁小而精悍，完美的生理构造使得它们能经受住种种考验。为了能在变换不断的环境中出发并回到蚁巢，沙漠箭蚁懂得利用太阳发出的偏振光回巢。而亚马逊蚂蚁通过记住视觉参照物来制定航向，而且这一记，就是一辈子，它们存储众多记忆后，再根据所到之处调出相关信息。蚂蚁体内有一套腺体，它们会用不同的化学物质传达20多种意思。

药用知识肾虚头昏耳鸣；失眠多梦；阳痿遗精；风湿痹痛；中风偏瘫6；手足麻木；红斑性狼疮；硬皮病；皮肌炎 dermatomyositis ；痈肿疔疮；毒蛇咬伤erythematosus lupus

scleroderma

dermatomyositis;

药理作用the ant is close with human,many of them have a special effect as

medicines.they can cure erythematosus lupus . dermatomyositis ,scleroderma.snake

bites and so on.at the same time ,It also make a difference in prolonging life, keeping skin beautiful, and strengthening bones and muscles,many people prefer use ants to Promote metabolism, enhance physical fitness and improve the adaptation to the environment.

1 . 延年益寿、润肤驻颜、强壮筋骨Prolong life, skin beauty, strong bones and muscles ： 动物试验和临床观察证实，唾液腺激素对唾液缺乏症造成的间接营养异常所导致的疾病， 以及由此而起的各种老年性疾病，有相当好的疗效。对实验性无唾液腺激素动物的全牙槽组织发育有促进作用。 2 . 促进代谢， 增强体质，提高对环境的适应力：Promote metabolism, enhance physical fitness, improve the adaptation to the environment 进入老年前期的人， 一般体力开始衰退，但有人在过了60 岁后会出现精力充沛、胜任工作且心情舒畅。有的学者认为， 这是由于唾液腺与甲状腺、垂体、胰岛、肾上腺皮质、甲状旁腺及性腺等有密切的关系。

蚂蚁是大力士 据力学家测定，一只蚂蚁能够举起超过自身体重400倍的东西，还能够拖运超过自身体重1700倍的物体。美国哈佛大学的昆虫学家马克莫费特，是一位对亚洲蚁颇有研究的学者。根据他的观察，10多只团结一致的蚂蚁，能够搬走超过它们自身体重5000倍的蛆或者别的食物，这相当于10个平均体重70公斤的彪形大汉搬运3500吨的重物，即平均每人搬运350吨，从相对力气这个角度来看，蚂蚁是当之无愧的大力士。小小的蚂蚁为什么能有如此神力？科学家们作了大量的研究、分析，证明蚂蚁体内是一座微型动物营养宝库，每100克蚂蚁能产生2929千焦（700千卡）的热量 http://www.pestworldforkids.org/ants.htmlAnts

There are more than 12,000 species of When foraging, ants leave a pheromone ants all over the world. trail so that they know where they’ve An ant can lift 20 times its own body been,

weight. If a second grader was as strong Queen ants have wings, which they shed as an ant, she would be able to pick up a when they start a new nest. car! Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters Some queen ants can live for many years through tiny holes all over the body and and have millions of babies! carbon dioxideleaves through the same Ants don’t have ears. Ants \"hear\" by holes.

feeling vibrations in the ground through When the queen of the colony dies, the their feet. colony can only survive a few months. When ants fight, it is usually to the Queens are rarely replaced and the death! workers are not able to reproduce.

Although ants are frustrating when they get into your home or when you’re having a picnic, ants do help the environment. They are social insects, which means they live in large colonies or groups. Depending on the species, ant colonies can consist of millions of ants.

There are three kinds of ants in a colony聚居地: The queen, the female workers, and males. The queen and the males have wings, while the workers don’t have wings. The queen is the only ant that can lay eggs. The male ant’s job is to mate with future queen ants and they do not live very long afterwards. Once the queen grows to adulthood, she spends the rest of her life laying eggs! Depending on the species, a colony may have one queen or many queens.

Ant colonies also have soldier ants that protect the queen, defend the colony, gather or kill food, and attack enemy colonies in search for food and nesting space. If they defeat another ant colony, they take away eggs of the defeated ant colony. When the eggs hatch, the new ants become the \"slave\" ants for the colony. Some jobs of the colony include taking care of the eggs and babies, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds.

Find information on ant control at the official NPMA website.

Argentine Ant

This species of ant is native to Argentina and Brazil and was probably introduced to the United States in freight ships around the 1890’s. These ants can be found in southern states and in California, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Washington. Size: 1/16\"to 1/4\" Legs: 6 Shape: Segmented, Oval Wings: Varies Color: Dark brown to black Antenna: Yes and shiny

Common Name: Argentine Class: Insecta Ant Order: Hymenoptera Kingdom: Animalia Family: Formicidae

Phylum: Arthropoda Species: Linepithema humile

DIETArgentine Ants prefer sweet substances but will eat almost anything including meats, eggs, oils and fats. Also, when foraging for food, Argentine ants leave pheromone trails everywhere they

go, instead of just from nest to food source. This habit ensures they do not waste time visiting the same area twice. While in other ant species worker ants are primarily responsible for gather food, Argentine queens also assist with foraging for food.

HABITATArgentine ant colonies are located in wet environments near a food source. These colonies can grow to monumental size, sometimes covering entire habitats, such as an entire garden or your whole back yard.

IMPACTArgentine ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food by leaving their bodily waste behind.

PREVENTIONEliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture.

Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood. Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ants get their name because they build their nests in wood. That can cause significant damage to the wood in your house. There are nine types of carpenter ants throughout the U.S. and range in size from one-quarter inch (about the width of a pencil) for a worker carpenter ant to three-quarters of an inch (about the size of a quarter) for a queen carpenter ant.

Each colony is established by a single, fertilized queen. She starts her nest in a cavity in wood, where she raises her first brood of workers. She feeds them saliva and does not leave the nest or feed herself during this time.

When they are ready, those workers then get the job of gathering food to feed the next generation. Once mature, this first generation of worker ants work to increase the food supply for the colony. The colony population grows very rapidly. A colony can eventually produce 2,000 or more workers. Size: 5/8\" Legs: 6 Shape: Oval Wings: Varies Color: Range in color from red Antenna: Yes to black

Common Name: Carpenter Ant Class: Insecta Kingdom: Animalia Order: Hymenoptera Phylum: Arthropoda Family: Formicidae

Species: Camponotus DIET

Carpenter ants do not eat the wood they remove during their nest-building activities, but deposit it outside entrances to the colony in small piles. The diet of carpenter ants includes living and dead insects, meat, fats and sugary foods of all kinds, including honeydew and nectar from plants. HABITAT

Carpenter ants build nests anywhere they can find water and moldy or damp wood, such as tree stumps, firewood or in the plants around your house. Carpenter ants also build nests inside,

usually entering buildings through wet, damaged wood, although it isn’t uncommon for them to adapt to drier environments.

IMPACT

Carpenter ants don’t carry disease, but when building a nest inside a home, Carpenter Ants dig smooth tunnels inside the wood. These tunnels weaken the wood and potentially damage the wood that keeps the house standing. This kind of damage can be very expensive to fix.

PREVENTION

Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture. Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood. Odorous House Ants

This ant gets its name from the strong, rotten coconut-like smells it gives off when crushed and the fact that they commonly nest in or around houses. Native to the United States, these ants are very social, living in colonies of up to 100,000 members. Size: 1/16\"to 1/8\" Legs: 6 Shape: Segmented, Oval Wings: Varies Color: Brown or Black Antenna: Yes Common Name: Odorous House Ant Class: Insecta Kingdom: Animalia Order: Hymenoptera Phylum: Arthropoda Family: Formicidae

Species: Tapinoma sessile DIET

Odorous house ants like to eat dead insects and sugary sweets, especially melon. HABITAT

Typically living for several years, these ants commonly make their homes in exposed soil, under stones, logs, mulch, debris and other items. They will also nest in wall and floor cracks. IMPACT

Odorous House ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food by leaving waste behind.

PREVENTION

Avoid using other individuals' combs, hats, towels, etc.

Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture. Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood.

Pavement Ants

Although these ants can live inside, they get their name because they make their nests in or under cracks in pavement. They are typically found in the eastern half of the United States, California and Washington. Pavement ant colonies average 3,000 to 4,000 members and have several queens. Size: 1/8\" Legs: 6 Shape: Segmented, Oval Wings: Varies Color: Dark Brown to Black Antenna: Yes

Common Name: Pavement Ant

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera Family: Formicidae

Species: Tetramorium caespitum

DIET

These ants will eat almost anything, including insects, grease, seeds, honeydew, honey, bread, meats, nuts and cheese. HABITAT

This ant gets its name because it most commonly nests in soil next to and beneath slabs, sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Indoors, pavement ants nest under a building’s foundation and within hollow foundation walls. IMPACT

Pavement ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food by leaving waste behind. PREVENTION

Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture. Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood. Red Imported Fire Ants Red Imported Fire Ants are more aggressive than other ant species and have

a painful sting. These ants and their telltale mound nests should be actively avoided. Red Imported Fire Ants can adapt to many climates and conditions in and around their environment. For example, if the colony senses increased water levels in their nests, they will come together and form a huge ball or raft that is able to float on the water! Size: 1/8\" to 3/8\" Legs: 6 Shape: Segmented, Oval Wings: Varies Color: Dark Reddish Brown Antenna: Yes

Common Name: Red Imported Class: Insecta

Fire

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Order: Hymenoptera Family: Formicidae

Species: Solenopsis invicta

DIET

They primarily feed on vegetation. HABITAT

Red imported fire ants will build their nests in mounds of soil outdoors, in landscape areas or near a building’s foundation. They occasionally enter buildings through holes or cracks in walls and foundations. IMPACT

The sting of a Red Imported Fire Ant is painful and often results in a raised welt that becomes a white blister. Persons allergic to insect stings will react more severely. They are frustrating, not only because of the physical pain they can inflict, but because their mound-building activity can damage plant roots and lead to loss of crops. PREVENTION

Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture. Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood.