{"id":2425,"date":"2022-03-31T16:24:03","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T08:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/?p=2425"},"modified":"2023-04-23T13:07:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-23T05:07:28","slug":"do-ants-die-in-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Ants Die In Water?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Yes, ants do die in water. Most ants can\u2019t swim and have no means of escaping water. They\u2019ll often end up drowning or eaten by aquatic predators. Only those capable of emerging from the water survive, while those that can\u2019t have to rely on luck.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll talk about why ants die in water, if they can survive in water, and how some ants manage to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/do-ants-die-in-water-b-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"do ants die in water\" class=\"wp-image-3367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/do-ants-die-in-water-b-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/do-ants-die-in-water-b-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/do-ants-die-in-water-b-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/do-ants-die-in-water-b.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Clump_of_Ants.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Steven Paultanis<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Why_Do_Ants_Die_In_Water\" title=\"Why Do Ants Die In Water?\">Why Do Ants Die In Water?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Can_Ants_Survive_In_Water\" title=\"Can Ants Survive In Water?\">Can Ants Survive In Water?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#How_Long_Can_Ants_Survive_Underwater\" title=\"How Long Can Ants Survive Underwater?\">How Long Can Ants Survive Underwater?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#How_Do_Ants_Escape_the_Water\" title=\"How Do Ants Escape the Water?\">How Do Ants Escape the Water?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Related_Questions\" title=\"Related Questions\">Related Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Can_Ants_Survive_In_Hot_Water\" title=\"Can Ants Survive In Hot Water?\">Can Ants Survive In Hot Water?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Can_Ants_Survive_In_Soapy_Water\" title=\"Can Ants Survive In Soapy Water?\">Can Ants Survive In Soapy Water?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Can_You_Use_Water_to_Get_Rid_of_Ants\" title=\"Can You Use Water to Get Rid of Ants?\">Can You Use Water to Get Rid of Ants?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Are_Ants_Attracted_to_Water\" title=\"Are Ants Attracted to Water?\">Are Ants Attracted to Water?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/do-ants-die-in-water\/#Summary\" title=\"Summary\">Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Do_Ants_Die_In_Water\"><\/span>Why Do Ants Die In Water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants die in water because they generally can&#8217;t escape when they get submerged. Once they fall in, they typically have to rely on a miracle to survive. Otherwise, they&#8217;ll either <strong>die from drowning or predation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of them can&#8217;t swim. They mostly have weak, hair-thin legs that aren&#8217;t able to propel them in water. The only they have going for them is the fact that they can float. However, this won&#8217;t help much in the presence of aquatic predators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, like humans, ants can&#8217;t breathe underwater as well. If their spiracles get blocked, they won&#8217;t be able to breathe and they&#8217;ll die of drowning. See this article to learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-breathe\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2295\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how ants breathe<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Ants_Survive_In_Water\"><\/span>Can Ants Survive In Water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-swim-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"can ants swim\" class=\"wp-image-2348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-swim-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-swim-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-swim-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-swim.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Camponotus_schmitzi.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Scharmann et al.<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">CC BY 2.5<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It is possible for ants, even those that don&#8217;t swim, to survive in water.<\/strong> As long as their spiracles don&#8217;t get blocked they can simply keep on floating. They then just have to wait for the water to subside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key is not to get submerged. If they do, they&#8217;re unlikely to make it back to the surface due to the constraints imposed by water tension. If this happens, they&#8217;d have no other choice but to hold their breaths and hope the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Long_Can_Ants_Survive_Underwater\"><\/span>How Long Can Ants Survive Underwater?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, ants can hold their breaths for a good amount of time. When submerged they can close their spiracles and live on stored oxygen for <strong>hours or even days<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Ants_Escape_the_Water\"><\/span>How Do Ants Escape the Water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Some ants escape water by swimming.<\/strong> While most can&#8217;t, there are some ants that can swim. These ants are those with big and strong forelegs. They use these legs to paddle and propel themselves in water. By swimming, they can make their way to the nearest surface and emerge. See this article to learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/can-ants-swim\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2346\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how ants swim<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for those that can\u2019t swim, they again mostly rely on luck. That is unless they&#8217;re fire ants. While fire ants can\u2019t swim, they\u2019ve come up with an ingenious strategy to survive in water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What they do is <strong>create ant rafts<\/strong>. As the name implies, these rafts are built with their bodies. They use these rafts to stay afloat until they can escape or the water subsides. [<a href=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/how-fire-ants-form-rafts\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/how-fire-ants-form-rafts\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Fire Ants Turn Into a Stinging Life Raft to Survive Floods | Deep Look\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cfKr6rnpakE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>During floods, fire ants link their bodies together using their legs and mandibles. With their bodies locked, they create a platform that supports the weight of the whole colony.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These rafts attract and hold a layer of air called the plastron layer. This layer enhances buoyancy and allows the ants at the bottom of the raft to breathe. Meaning, these rafts rarely sink, and every ant survives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Questions\"><\/span>Related Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/are-ants-attracted-to-water-3-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-78\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/are-ants-attracted-to-water-3-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/are-ants-attracted-to-water-3-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/are-ants-attracted-to-water-3-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/are-ants-attracted-to-water-3.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Ants_Survive_In_Hot_Water\"><\/span>Can Ants Survive In Hot Water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants can\u2019t survive in hot or boiling water. In fact, they die instantly when subjected to extremely high temperatures. <strong>These temperatures can cause the denaturation of their cells and cell death.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Ants_Survive_In_Soapy_Water\"><\/span>Can Ants Survive In Soapy Water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No, ants can\u2019t survive in soapy water. Soap is a surfactant and will reduce the surface tension of water. <strong>Ants in soapy water will not be able to stay afloat and therefore eventually drown. <\/strong>Even if they do escape, they\u2019re still at risk of suffocation due to soap blocking their spiracles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Use_Water_to_Get_Rid_of_Ants\"><\/span>Can You Use Water to Get Rid of Ants?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not exactly. Water alone is not an effective way to get rid of ants. You may eliminate a couple of worker ants here and there but <strong>you can&#8217;t get rid of an entire colony with water<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pouring water on ants will only displace them temporarily. They&#8217;ll soon come back or simply relocate to another area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Ants_Attracted_to_Water\"><\/span>Are Ants Attracted to Water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, ants are attracted to water. They constantly seek out water sources because <strong>they need water to survive<\/strong>. Water allows their bodies to function. Without it, they dry up and die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out this article to learn more about why <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/are-ants-attracted-to-water\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"71\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ants are attracted to water<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To summarize, ants die in water.\u00a0Most ants aren\u2019t capable of emerging from the water. They often drown or get eaten by predators. Only those capable of swimming or who have devised strategies to survive in water, tend to make it out alive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yes, ants do die in water. Most ants can\u2019t swim and have no means of escaping water. They\u2019ll often end up drowning or eaten by aquatic predators. Only those capable of emerging from the water survive, while those that can\u2019t have to rely on luck. In this article, we\u2019ll talk about why ants die in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}