ANTS 171 



now begin to enlarge the nest and soon other larger workers 

 are reared and the community begins to multiply and 

 increase. 



The eggs laid by the queen are small and white and rarely 

 seen by the ordinary observer. These are solicitously 

 cared for by workers and finally hatch into white, footless, 

 soft, grub-like larvae. The larvae are also tenderly cared 

 for by the workers and changed from chamber to chamber 

 in conformity with variations in temperature and moisture. 

 The workers feed the larvae either on food which has 

 been predigested and which the workers. now regurgitate 

 or on bits of dead insects, leaves, or seeds that have been 

 chewed fine. The larvae, after attaining their growth, 

 change to whitish pupae which, in some species, are in- 

 closed in cocoons, while in others they are not. These 

 the workers treat with the same solicitude and care that 

 they show toward their larvae. Observers often mistake 

 the pupae for eggs. Often, on raising up a flat stone one 

 will see the workers running this way and that with the 

 larvae and pupae in their jaws, evidently seeking a place of 

 safety for them. The pupae finally transform to the adult 

 ants of the various forms, workers, queens, and males. 



ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF ANTS 



Ants, as a whole, may probably be considered as agents 

 in making the earth more habitable for man. Some of 

 the species are neutral, perhaps, in relation to the economic 

 status of mankind. A great many species are certainly 

 beneficial through their action in stirring and aerating 

 the soil. They are constantly burrowing deep into the 

 earth and bringing up the particles which they distribute 



