### animal | arthropod | insect:

Ant
* All ants are either highly eusocial or are parasites on other ants
  - social insects in which the adults are specialized to perform various tasks
  - social, which means they live in organized colonies
* All ants have a constricted abdomen and they range in color from yellow to black
  - three body parts, a pair of , elbowed antennae, six legs and a pinched waist
* All ants live in colonies
  - groups called colonies and depend on each other for the survival of the group
  - societies and exhibit reproductive division of labor
* Many ants also bite
  - feed on honeydew, a sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects
  - build simple little mounds out of dirt or sand
  - carry seven times their body weight
* Many ants eat a sweet fluid, called honeydew, that is excreted by aphids
  - other insects
  - even harvest the honeydew directly from the aphids
  - exhibit parental care, carrying food to their larvae, and cleaning and guarding nests
* Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber
  - no sting at all, while other have only mild stings
  - live as temporary or permanent social parasites in the colonies of other ant species
  - maintain fungus gardens on compost, using a fungus found nowhere else
* Most ants adapt to conditions
  - environments
  - nighttime conditions
* Most ants are black, brown, red, or yellow
  - harmless
  - located in habitats
* Most ants are located on continents
  - earth
  - ground
  - wood
  - medium sized and forage for food
  - member of colonies
  - only a nuisance pest and can be controlled easily with minimum treatment
  - primarily a nuisance and cause little damage
* Most ants are wingless and known as workers
  - attack small larvae
* Most ants become household pests
  - nuisances
  - build some sort of nest and store food there
* Most ants build their nests in the soil outdoors
  - outdoors in soil
* Most ants carry food
  - genes
  - leaves
  - load
  - materials
  - particles
  - seeds
  - catch food
* Most ants cause crop damage
  - problems
  - significant damage
* Most ants collect leaves
  - vegetation
* Most ants consume liquids
  - sweet liquids
  - cross barriers
  - destroy vegetation
  - dig soil
  - drink nectar
* Most ants eat a wide variety of foods, although some have specialized tastes
  - sugary food
  - emerge from colonies
  - enter houses
* Most ants establish new colonies through swarming
  - nests by swarming to mate
  - feed either on sugars or on protein, fats, or oils
* Most ants feed on plants
  - the same foods that humans do
  - queens
* Most ants follow food
  - leaders
  - tracks
* Most ants form huge colonies
  - large colonies
  - go to holes
* Most ants has-part bellies
  - exoskeletons
  - eyes
  - glands
  - jaws
  - mouthparts
  - organs
  - stomachs
* Most ants have abdomens
  - ability
  - antennas
  - brains
  - characteristics
  - diets
  - flexible antennas
  - heads
  - homes
  - horizontal tunnels
  - mandibles
  - powerful jaws
  - remarkable ability
  - small colonies
  - thoraxes
  - three such eyes on the vertex of the cranium, placed in a triangle
  - tiny brains
  - very poor eyesight
  - well-developed jaws and can bite when disturbed
  - years
* Most ants help ants
* Most ants invade fields
  - kitchens
  - lawns
* Most ants kill insects
  - live for months
* Most ants live in areas
  - communities
  - dark places
  - grassland
  - landscapes
  - regions
  - urban areas
  - near bathrooms, kitchens, foundation cracks or leaky roof joints
* Most ants live on hills
* Most ants love nectar
* Most ants make burrows
  - routes
  - structures
* Most ants move legs
  - nest outside the house in the soil or adjacent to the soil under various objects
* Most ants occur in colonies
  - countries
* Most ants perform duties
  - jobs
  - other duties
  - pick up pieces
* Most ants possess bodies
  - bottoms
  - fronts
  - segments
  - waste
* Most ants prefer colonies
  - produce a new generation each year
  - receive food
* Most ants relate to ants
  - release pheromone
* Most ants require food
  - oxygen
  - rest on plants
* Most ants return to colonies
* Most ants seek habitats
  - share environments
  - spend a lot of time fighting their own species
  - steal food
  - swarm during spring and late summer
* Most ants thrive in coastal regions
  - mild coastal regions
* Most ants use body heat
  - large mandibles
  - trails
* S come in more than twenty household varieties and have many tastes
  - live in a large group called a colony
* Some ants also eat seeds of native plants
  - gather and feed on weed seeds, thereby helping to reduce problems with weeds
* Some ants appear in colonies
  - orchards
* Some ants are fully blind and many have great vision
  - important enemies of insect pests
* Some ants are inside houses
  - trees
  - tubes
  - known as soldiers
* Some ants are located in buildings
* Some ants are located on Africa
  - Kentucky
  - islands
  - member of families
  - very susceptible to baits, some are less so
  - workers, whereas others are slackers
  - attack predators
  - avoid people
* Some ants bite herbivores
  - intruders
* Some ants can be a nuisance by biting people and pets
  - carry objects up to fifty times their weight
  - cause damage to plants indirectly, however
  - fire an acid fluid from their rear ends
  - lift prey up to seven times as big as they are
* Some ants carry caterpillars
  - fragments
  - grain
  - rice
  - cause crops
  - chew wood
* Some ants collect food
  - fruit
  - construct turrets
  - consume fungi
  - cross tracks
  - damage wooden structures, and others undermine slabs or patio stones
  - defend homes
* Some ants depend on food
  - deposit earth on the soil surface when they construct the nest
* Some ants destroy eggs
  - dig earth
* Some ants do have teeth
  - wings, but there two more body features only ants have
* Some ants eat animals
  - cakes
  - crickets
  - harmful insects
  - herbivorous insects
  - mole crickets
  - plant leaves
  - pupas
  - rubber trees
  - vegetables
* Some ants emerge from burrows
  - enslave ants of other species which gather food or even feed their captors
* Some ants enter California
  - cotton
  - larval stages
  - even grow fungus in special gardens inside their nests
  - feed in trees
* Some ants feed on fruit
  - gall midges
  - meat
  - proteins
  - rich nectar
  - the sugar excreted by the aphids
  - follow definite trails
* Some ants form hills around their external openings
  - unsightly hills around the opening of their nests
  - give birth to ants
  - go to gardens
  - harvest grain
* Some ants have 'armies' and are very organized into causing a lot of damage, and consequent fear
  - an eye composed of only one facet
  - babies
  - big impact
  - chemicals
  - deadly sting
  - devastate impact
  - distinct effects
  - eat ants
  - guides
  - muscles
  - no eyes
  - nodes
  - opposite effects
  - poison sacs
  - quality
  - quills
  - roles
  - sex
  - single nodes
  - slight variation
  - stingers
  - stings, and some can spray poison from the end of the abdomen
  - survival techniques
  - help in the spreading of seeds
* Some ants invade bathrooms
  - cabins
  - dishes
  - food dishes
  - villages
  - worlds
* Some ants kill ants
  - crabs
  - red crabs
* Some ants leave ant colonies
  - scent trails that others can follow to the food source
* Some ants live for decades
  - many years
* Some ants live in Kentucky
  - acacias
  - association with root-feeding aphids, which also injure grass
  - cavities made inside plants, such as acorns, twigs, and galls
  - deserts
  - dry deserts
  - forests
  - the ground, others inside dead trees
  - lose ability
  - love fruit
* Some ants make a living as ranchers
  - compounds
  - move sand
* Some ants occur in Florida
  - parks
  - woodlands
  - pick up objects
  - pose threats
* Some ants possess antennas
  - cells
  - venom
* Some ants prefer houses
  - to take cover underneath rocks, which can also provide warmth
* Some ants provide nutrients
  - protection
* Some ants pull leaves
  - receive substances
  - relate to colonies
* Some ants require nectar
  - water
  - rest on trees
* Some ants return to environments
* Some ants seek food
  - share habitats
* Some ants sit in gardens
* Some ants squirt a stinky fluid at their enemies
  - formic acid from the end of their abdomen into the wound
  - suck nectar
  - swim in water
* Some ants take food
* Some ants undergo complete metamorphosis
* Some ants use dungs
  - their stings to lay odour trails which recruits other workers to a food source
  - waste materials
* Some ants visit cacti
  - flowers
  - locations
* Think of household ants as a tiny, well-organized army in search of food and water.
* Use cinnamon, cream of tartar, or red chili powder to hinder entry
  - talcum powder or chalk as a barrier
* actually cultivate aphids and milk tha aphids for their secreted honeydew
  - protect aphid colonies
* also act as scavengers and as predators of other insects.
* also can enter houses along utility lines
  - symbolize the small annoyances and irritations in our daily lives
* also carry aphids to the tender and most succulent new growth of plants
  - uninfested parts of plants
  - decaying plant material below the surface
  - eat worms
* also have a bend in their antennae
  - large heads, elbowed antennae, and powerful jaws
  - remarkably strong jaws and can give a painful nip
  - the characteristic three part body of an insect
  - their own fungus which they carry on the bodies
  - two pair of wings but the fore wings are much larger than the hind wings
  - move around, especially army ants
  - offer some solid food to the larva including trophic eggs and seeds
  - play an important role in the pollination of flowers
  - prey on turtle eggs
  - supply enzymes necessary to aid in breaking down protein chains
  - survive the cut, being a fine protein source
  - swarm, sometimes at the same time as termites
  - use chemicals called pheromones to leave scent trails for other ants to follow
* always live in societies known as colonies
  - put their families first
  - show a trust in the universe
* appear distinctly segmented, because of their thin-waisted appearance
  - from nostrils and mouth
* apply pheromones on each other and on their environment.
* are a classic example of social insects, which work together for the good of the colony
  - favorite food
  - major annoyance to homeowners and are difficult to control
  - parallel processing machine
  - perennial fact of life in Indonesia
  - able to communicate with each other
  - alien beings
* are also a good indicator of the presence of insects
  - problem at hummingbird and oriole feeders, drawn to the sweet liquid
* are also an important food source for pileated woodpeckers
  - for troutin many alpine lakes
  - capable of teaching each other
  - easy and interesting to study
  - present as they milk the aphids
  - strong and fearless but are never identified with national flags or contact sports
  - typically present when aphids are
  - univoltine in that they yield new generation every year
  - very strong for their size
  - among the longest living insects in the world
  - amongst the most numerous of all types of animals, and many species are predaceous
* are an insect group that everyone knows and many are fascinated by
  - unusual example of omnivores
  - arthopods
* are attracted to food, water and shelter
  - the elaiosome and drag the seeds to their nests
  - bugs
  - clean and tidy insects
  - cold blooded so they slow down when they get cold
  - cold-blooded just like all other insects and some other animals, like reptiles
* are common insects, but they have some unique capabilities
  - throughout Colorado, and large numbers occur in the average landscape
  - controlled by the seasons, just like any other insect
  - cosmopolitan in distribution
  - dominant and conspicuous animals in the world's terrestrial ecosystems
  - entirely different from termites
  - eusocial insects, which means they exist only as part of a colony
  - everywhere - they thrive in forests, fields, deserts, and cities all over earth
  - excited
  - extraordinarily abundant in arthropod communities of tropical rain-forest canopies
  - familiar turf-nesting insects
  - fascinating creatures and highly social
  - ferocious predators
  - formidable opponents that violently guard the nest from intruders
* are found on any inhabitable landmass on the planet
  - every continent except Antarctica and in virtually every climate
* are generally predacious
  - predators and particularly territorial
* are ground foragers, bees are mostly plant eaters and wasps are mostly meat eaters
  - up and used as a spread on breads
* are hard to like
  - workers that can lift things many times their own body weight
  - herbivores, fungivores, detritivores and top predators
  - highly adaptable in their nesting habits
  - important in aerating the soil and even in seed dispersal of many wildflowers
  - in a different group from lobsters
  - incredibly effective and efficient predators and have few limits on their diet
  - industrious little critters
  - insects that live and work in large groups
* are known to be formidable adversaries
  - domesticate and enslave other insects, such as aphids and other ants
  - take a heavy toll of newly hatched nymphs
  - more active in hot weather
  - nature's janitorial staff
  - needed to attack herbivores and clip other plants
  - obviously relentless when it comes to foraging whether it is plant or animal material
  - of extreme importance in the insect world
* are often nuisance pests and just their presence can be upsetting
  - several times larger
  - on the move in spring and fall
* are one of the most abundant and easily collected animals
  - frequent and persistent pests of structures in Kentucky
  - numerous and industrious insects on the planet
  - our friends, they eat aphids
  - predatory on weevil eggs and neonate larvae
  - primary prey
* are probably pretty blind, they live in a world of chemical trails
  - the most common household pest
  - quite plentiful in the desert biome
  - relatively hard-bodied insects, with high levels of chitin
  - responsible for planting many wildflowers in New England and other areas
  - said to indulge in games and athletic sports and to cany on war
  - skinny insects
  - small, but they can drink a lot of water depending on their body weight
  - so crazy about honeydew, they protect the insects from their predators
  - sociable insects that care for their young
* are social animals like bees
  - insects found worldwide in almost every environment
* are social insects living in colonies comprised of one or a few queens, and many workers
  - that are found worldwide and in almost every environment
* are social insects that live in a colony
  - colonies and are some of the most successful insects
  - well-organized colonies
  - typically live in underground colonies, made up of workers and a queen
  - which mean they live together in groups just like bees and wasps
* are social insects, and leaf-cutter ants have one of the most complex social organizations
  - most colonies contain three castes - queens, males, and workers
  - often live in colonies of thousands or even millions of individuals
  - living in groups called nests or colonies
  - which means they live in groups of numerous individuals called colonies
* are some of the most advanced species on earth
  - fascinating creatures that roam the earth
  - sometimes a problem when farmers sow small pasture seeds
  - strong and can carry things that weigh much more than they do
  - successful because they are social insects often forming complex colonies
  - symbols for virtue and patriotism
  - termites main predator
  - terrestrial insects, poorly adapted to being in the water and they drown quickly
* are the bane of lady beetles
  - greatest enemies of termites and can sort of ' exclude' termites in some situations
  - history of social organization and the future of computers
* are the most abundant social insects on the planet
  - common pest in New Mexico
  - difficult household pests to control
  - successful genus on earth
  - only animal besides humans that farms food
* are the primary animal predators of termites
  - dispersal agents of the seeds
  - principle prey of some Nepenthes species
  - simplest of classroom pets
  - tastiest
  - undertakers of their world
  - therefore very fond of bugs that can poop large quantities of sugar
  - thin-waisted and have elbowed antennae
  - tireless team workers
  - unselfish and sacrifice themselves to benefit the community
* are usually scavengers and detritivores, so fewer nutrients are broken down in the soil
  - small , but can carry the weight of twenty ants
* are very aggressive and ferociously defend their nest
  - important insects all around the world, especially in tropical regions
  - voracious weeders Ants get weeding to rid their gardens of pests
  - warm, dry and aphrodisiac and their acid smell wonderfully enlivens the vital spirits
  - well known for their well-developed systems of communication
* attack larvae
* bite legs.
* breathe air.
* bring large amounts of dead insects and other materials into their colony.
* build and maintain a colony
  - many different types of homes
  - nests either on or in the ground or in trees
* build their homes in all sorts of places
  - nests in many different locations both inside and outside of buildings
* can actually keep herds of aphids for a supply of the honeydew which food source
  - appear suddenly
  - attack termite colonies or termite workers looking for food
* can be brown, black or red, winged or wingless, have narrow waists and elbowed antennae
  - common pests in homes
  - helpful or harmful depending on the circumstances
  - red, brown, or black
  - yellow, brown, red or black
* can carry fifty times their weight
  - heavy food
  - cause high mortalities in some areas of Europe
  - detect just a few parts of their pheromone in a billion parts of air
* can enter and move through a structure through innumerable tiny cracks and openings
  - many types of food packaging, particularly once the package has been opened
  - get through the tiniest hole or crack
  - invade walls and erode foundations
  - learn from experience, but most of their activities are based on instinct
* can lift and carry more than fifty times their own weight
  - three times their own weight
  - things much bigger than they are
  - live in tunnels, in the ground, in a mound, or in wood
  - make compost richer in phosphorus and potassium by moving minerals around as they work
  - play an important role in forest ecology
* can survive almost anywhere on earth
  - without their heads for a very long period of time
  - talk to each other by touching other ants' antennae
  - taste food with their mouths and with their antennae
  - travel very long distances in search of food, but still come back to their nests
* carry collect and carry seeds
  - on complex social organizations, building projects, and communications
  - the seeds into the bush and if they are dropped in good soil they grow
  - their food to their nest by the shortest route
* collect honeydew from aphids
* collect the eggs of the aphid and tend overwinter in nests
* come in many colors
  - of themselves to the spot where sweets are placed
* commonly enter a structure by following utility lines.
* communicate about food, but poorly
  - through smells
* communicate with sounds while frogs communicate with chemicals
  - the colony in the form of what is called pheremon trails
* comprise three main castes, which have different roles, workers, queens and males.
* continue to feed on the eggs and young larvae of flies.
* converse with their antennae, having no lungs nor windpipe.
* crawl around the tear ducts.
* derive from the bee and wasp lineage.
* develop a social system that helps keep their population growing
  - through a complete life cycle of egg, larva, pupa, and adult
* discard seed chaff and other debris onto the nest mound.
* disperse seeds of many plants
  - the elaiosome-bearing eggs of an african stick insect
* display two rather distinct patterns of nest establishment.
* distinguish neighbors from strangers.
* do perform some beneficial functions
  - what they are programmed to do and never question their individuality
* dominate the diet during the dry season, termites during the rainy season.
* eat a wide variety of food, and have a number of interesting ways of getting it
  - almost anything from seeds to dead animals
  - and destroy a wide variety of fruit and vegetable crops
  - it and die
  - leaves, fungi, honey, nectar, small insects and dead animals
  - liquid from trees
  - organic matter, although a few are carnivorous eating anything they can drag down
  - plants, other insects, small seeds, and crumbs that people leave behind
  - the enlarged ends of fungus stalks
* eaten by poison-dart frogs play an essential role in the toxicity of the frogs themselves.
* enrich the soil when they process their food.
* enter buildings through cracks in foundation walls and interior slabs
* establish new aphid colonies and ward off natural enemies.
* even disperse seeds for some species.
* exemplify many behaviors and phenomena which are common to other insect species.
* exhibit a range of polymorphisms.
* feed on a variety of different foods
  - foods including starches, meats, fats and sweets
  - wide variety of materials, although certain species show certain preferences
* feed on almost anything consumed by humans
  - anything, including dead matter
  - aphid honey-dew, fungi, seeds, sweets, scraps, other insects and sometimes other ants
  - different types of food, including starches, meats, fats, and sweets
  - many different types of food
  - the honeydew produced by aphids
* find a colony of aphids and milk the waste plant sap from the cornicles
  - the fastest routes between food and home base using chemicals called pheromones
* follow an odor trail
  - different kinds of scent trails
  - scent trails laid by scout ants to gather food
  - wiring and plumbing routes through the structure
* form colonies that vary greatly in size
  - supply columns to relocate valuable items through complex, dynamic environments
* frequently forage in kitchens, pantries, and other food storage areas
  - travel over branches into a building
* gather cacti seeds to store and eat
  - up leaves and soil to bury in their subterranean fungal farms
* generally move over open terrain.
  - war, so do chimpanzees
* grow their fungi in a compost or manure that is carefully prepared.
* guard their eggs and prey.
* guide themselves with their scent.
* harvest food from treehoppers, while treehoppers gain protection from ants
  - plant materials
* hate the scent.
* have a complex social structure
  - constricted waist, while termites have a more straight-sided waist
  - great amount of importance in the environment
  - hierarchical order to their colonies that is surprising and fascinating
  - much more dispersed seat of intelligence than humans
  - pinched-in, narrow waist
  - preference for sweet food, such as juices of fruits, sugar, honey, and honeydew
  - respiratory system that functions to bring oxygen in and out of the body
  - sectioned body similar to a yellow jacket
  - tangy, vinegarlike taste, and scorpions are chewy
  - variety of prey
  - very social structure
* have a wide range of nesting habits and food preferences
  - variety of nesting habits and food preferences
  - all the senses that humans have but use different body parts to achieve the same goals
* have an acoustic world of their own
  - egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage
  - chemical inhibitors in their saliva and anal fluid
  - chewing mouthparts, heavy mandibles suitable for biting, cutting and gnawing
  - colonies almost everywhere on planet Earth
  - five noses
  - follow characteristics
* have four distinct growing stages, the egg, larva, pupa and the adult
  - stages in their life cycle
  - wings however, two are larger and two are smaller
  - hair on their body and eyes that is called setae
* have large colonies
  - heads with compound eyes, elbowed antennae, and powerful jaws
  - heads, elbowed antennaes, powerful jaws and segmented bodies
  - lots of glands for producing chemicals
  - narrow, wasp-like waists, while termites have broad waists
* have one of the largest brains of all insects
  - wing larger than the other
  - reproductive castes, the queens and males, and nonreproductive castes, the workers
  - six legs, and each leg has three joints
  - strong mandibles and can bite
  - such different behavior and biology from roaches
  - the ability to take over a nest of a different organism by several means
  - thin waists and elbowed antennae
* have three body parts and six legs
  - castes, namely queens, males and workers
  - distinct body parts
  - pairs of legs, all originating in the thorax
* have two castes, the worker and the reproductive
  - sets of jaws
  - stomachs, one for taking food back to the colony and the other for themselves
  - vary diets
  - very complicated bodies
  - wings which are unequal in length and generally end at the tip of the abdomen
  - create soil and keep it fertile
  - to keep the enviroments free of rotting material
* holding food are usually on a path back to the nest.
* includes air sacs
  - carapaces
  - cell membranes
  - cytoplasm
  - faces
  - flight feathers
  - nuclei
  - plasma membranes
  - quill feathers
  - sections
  - shells
  - skulls
  - vacuoles
* infest structures.
  - the home to forage for food or seek shelter or both
* is also Estonian first name
* know instinctively that winter is coming, so they take advantage of the warmer weather.
* known as soldier ants tend to be protectors, often protecting their smaller counterparts.
* lay eggs
  - trails of pheromone so they can follow paths to food sources or battle zones
* leap for safety from branches when birds are around.
* leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they've been
  - behind pheromones to mark a fast trail to an unsuspecting group of picnickers
  - chemicals trails so that others can find the bait
* like to east small bread crumbs, or bread dipped in sugar water or with a drop of honey
  - farm aphids, whitefly, scale, and mealybug
  - follow aphids around because they secrete a sweetish substance known as honey dew
* live for fifteen to twenty years
  - communities, sometimes as large as one-half million individuals
* live in large colonies and burrow in the soil to build their nests
  - soil and sand, which requires powerful claws for digging
  - the palace
  - some acacia trees and protect the trees from plant-eating insects
  - the forest floor
  - practically everywhere but are most abundant in warm climates
  - together in a colony
* live underground in an ant colony
* locate food by random searching.
* look for food indoors.
* loosen the soil.
  - to invade a mealybug culture if they can find a way into a cage and they usually do
* match as they march.
* naturally strive for a balanced diet to optimize the growth of the colony.
* need food.
* never give up
  - rest, or so it seems
  - sleep
* normally form colonies with only one nest and one queen.
* occupy both primary and secondary trophic levels of the food chain.
  - worldwide but are especially common in hot climates
* often build their colonies in soil, under rocks and decaying logs, and in dead wood
  - live on trumpet vine and are sometimes found objectionable by gardeners
  - nest in hollow areas such as behind walls or under the false bottom of cabinets
  - tend or care for aphids in return for the honeydew
* only come into houses for the purpose of finding food, warmth and shelter.
* outnumber humans at a rate of a million to one.
* pass messages while they pass food.
* perceive their world primarily through their antennae.
* play an important part in natures population control.
* play an important role in the environment
  - success of aphids
* possess a painful sting when attacked, so Anteaters have to eat quickly
* protect aphids from lady bugs so they can harvest the honeydew.
* provide food for birds like chickadees, woodpeckers and blue jays
  - birds, other insects, and mammals
  - fungus with leaves and protection from pathogens while fungus provides ants with food
* range in color from yellow to brown to red to black.
* release many different chemicals
  - only a combined waste, mostly dry
* rely on teamwork to thrive and survive.
* remember a food trail by the location of landmarks along the way.
* require carbohydrates-sugars, proteins and greases
* rule the earth.
* run fast Because the elephant is slow.
* seem to be their major food source.
* serve their queen selflessly rather than always seeking their own ends.
* show a highly developed social organization and complex behavior patterns.
* sleep frequently and are often quite lazy.
* sometimes find their way to the nectar
  - herd or tend to insects of other species, like aphids or leafhoppers
* start the same cycle all over again.
* sting creatures
* stretch when they wake up in the morning
* supposedly herd and protect aphids like cattle.
* swallow food
* take seeds down into their tunnel to eat the nutritious elaiosomes that are part of the seed
  - small quantities of bait back to their nest to share with their nest mates
* taste and smell a substance that evaporates off the chemical laid down by another ant
  - like water
* tend to come in dark or earth tones
  - live in large groups called colonies
  - turn in the direction of higher pheromone concentration
* thus continue in a straight line through regions between piles.
* too play an important role since they heard many sucking creatures around from plant to plant.
* touch their antennae to communicate.
* trail or nest under the plastic film.
* travel directly between farms by spiral stairs and connecting tubes.
* turn and aerate the soil, allowing water and oxygen to reach plant roots.
* typically swarm during the day and termites at dusk.
* undergo complete metamorphosis, passing through egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages.
* use an invisible trail to guide their colony to another location
  - chemical clues and simple behaviors to accomplish their goals
  - chemicals to communicate and work with each other
  - comb-like structures on their legs to clean their antennae
  - energy to carry objects many times their size
* use pheromones for more than just reproduction
  - to mark trails
  - random numbers to direct their motion, and also to direct their actions
  - receptors on their antennae to follow recruitment pheromone trails
  - scouts to locate food
  - several forms of communication
  - the mandibles to grasp food, and the maxillae to process solid food
* use their antennae to smell, touch and communicate with other ants
  - diminutive size to their advantage
  - mouths for weapons
  - touch to communicate
* usually enter buildings in search of food and water
  - fly in the heat of a late summer's day
  - have a swollen area called the metapleural gland lateral and ventral to the thorax
* work together to battle a deadly fungus by diluting the infection across the colony
+ Ant, Colonies:
  * Ants have colonies almost everywhere on planet Earth. Places that do not have ants are Antarctica, and certain far away places or islands hard to live on
  - Development and reproduction, Mating, The nuptial flight
  * Most ants produce a new generation each year. During the species specific breeding period, new reproductives, winged males and females leave the colony in what is called a 'nuptial flight'. Typically, the males take flight before the females. Males then use visual cues to find a common mating ground, for example, a landmark such as a pine tree to which other males in the area converge. Males secrete a mating pheromone that females follow. Females of some species mate with just one male, but in some others they may mate with anywhere from one to ten or more different males
+ Honeydew: Botany :: Insects
  * Ants collect honeydew from aphids. Many ants even harvest the honeydew directly from the aphids. This helps the aphids, because the ants chase predators, such as lady beetles, away from the aphids.
+ Polymorphism, Examples, Ants: Evolutionary biology :: Classical genetics :: Ecology
  * Ants exhibit a range of polymorphisms. First, there is their characteristic haplodiploid sex determination system, whereby all males are haploid, and all females are diploid.