While most ants are wingless and typically just crawl around, some ants do have wings and are in fact, capable of flight. At certain times of the year, mature colonies produce winged ants for the purpose of breeding and establishing new colonies. In this article, we’ll further discuss what kind of ants grow wings, how…
Ants have setae, which are hair or bristles on their exoskeletons. They use these setae as sensory receptors and for a variety of purposes including communication, locomotion, and thermoregulation. In this article, we’ll we further discuss what setae are and what they’re used for. What Is Setae? Again, setae are a number of hair or…
Yes, ants have hearts. These hearts come in the form of the dorsal vessel. This dorsal vessel is an elongated tube found in the abdomen of ants. It’s a pumping organ that pumps hemolymph throughout the ant’s body. To be more specific, the ant heart refers to the posterior region of the dorsal vessel. In…
Yes, ants are attracted to blood. Blood contains many substances that attract ants. These substances include water, sugar, vitamins, and protein. Ants need these substances to function and survive. Because of these substances, ants see blood as an attractive food source. In this article, we’ll learn more about why ants are attracted to blood as…
No, ants do not have blood. They have hemolymph, a similar circulatory fluid. This hemolymph functions like blood and helps transport nutrients throughout the body. Unlike blood, however, hemolymph does not contain red blood cells and isn’t used in gas transport. In this article, we’ll learn more about ant blood as we discuss the following:…
No, ants do not have lungs. They are too small to accommodate lungs and a respiratory system similar to ours. Instead, they breathe through a tracheal respiratory system. In this article, we’ll learn more about the ant respiratory system as we discuss the following: What Are Lungs? The lungs are a pair of vital organs…
Yes, ants have teeth called mandibular teeth. They’re attached to a pair of external appendages called the mandibles. These teeth aid these mandibles in moving objects and processing food. They’re also used by ants as weapons to attack or defend themselves. In this article, we’ll learn more about ant teeth as we discuss the following:…
Yes, ants do have antennae. They have a pair of antennae connected to their heads. Ants use these antennae to smell, feel, and communicate. In this article, we’ll learn more about the ant antennae as we discuss the following: What Type of Antennae Do Ants Have? Ants have geniculate or elbowed antennae. These antennae have…
Yes, ants do die in water. Most ants can’t swim and have no means of escaping water. They’ll often end up drowning or eaten by aquatic predators. Only those capable of emerging from the water survive, while those that can’t have to rely on luck. In this article, we’ll talk about why ants die in…
Ants communicate through 5 different modes of communication. These modes include pheromones, sound, body language, trophallaxis, and touch. Out of all these, they rely most on pheromones. The rest are less developed and are mainly used to complement chemical communication. In this article, we’ll learn more about how ants communicate as we discuss their different…