Yes, ants do have eyes. Most ant species have a pair of compound eyes with some also having one to three additional simple eyes called ocelli on the dorsal surface of their heads. There are also some ants, particularly those that are subterranean, which have no eyes at all. In this article, we’ll discuss how…
The number of queens in an ant colony varies from species to species. In most cases, ant colonies tend to only have only one egg-laying queen. However, some ant colonies may also have multiple or even no queens at all. In this article we’ll dig deeper into how many queens are in an ant colony…
Yes, ants do sleep but they do so in a manner that’s very much different from humans. Ants are polyphasic, and so instead of having one elongated period of rest, they take multiple short naps throughout the day. In this article we’ll detail what happens when ants sleep as well as how long, when, and…
Ants have brains which regulate their bodily functions. These brains are small and contain just around 250,000 neurons, a number far less than our 86 billion. This difference is to be expected though, given that ants are small animals. Their brains however, are relatively large when compared to their body size, much like how it…
Queens are among the two ant castes capable of flight. As virgins, most queen ants have wings which allow them to fly out of their nests and participate in a nuptial flight where they swarm and mate with other reproductives. In this article we’ll discuss how and why queen ants fly. We’ll also discuss the…
It is generally assumed that the death of the queen, particularly in monogynous colonies, also marks the death of the colony itself. While this has been proven experimentally, more and more studies reveal that dead queen ants can end up being replaced by younger queens. In this article we’ll look deeper into what happens when…
Ants are social animals which live in large organized groups called colonies. These colonies consist of thousands of ants categorized into different castes all working together towards the growth and survival of the colony. Together these ants make up a superorganism which behave and think as a unit. In this article we’ll look deeper into…
In most ant species, queens are tasked to bear all reproductive burden. Meaning despite worker ants also being female, it is typically only the queens which can mate and reproduce. With that, they’re also, in most cases, the only ones which can establish and grow new colonies. In this article, we’ll look deeper into the…
Worker ants are important members of the colony which serve the queen and perform tasks essential to the colony’s survival. In most ant species, they’re responsible for pretty much everything apart from reproduction. They manage their nests, and also make sure that the queen is fully taken care of so she can fulfill her reproductive…
As some say, male ants are essentially just flying sperm, and as harsh as that may sound, that is in fact, what they are. They’re produced for one sole purpose, that is to mate with virgin queens to allow them to start new colonies. In this article, we’ll look further into the male ant’s role…