74 HOW ARE ANIMALS AND PLANTS DEPENDENT? 



Ants. Ants are the most truly communal of all the insects. 

 Their life history and habits are not so well known as those of the 

 bee, but what is known shows even more wonderful specialization. 



The nest of a colony consists of underground galleries with 

 enlarged storerooms, nurseries, etc. The inhabitants of a nest 

 may consist of winged males and females, and wingless workers, 

 which act as gatherers of food, nurses, and protectors. We may find 

 ant nests almost anywhere in our yards or gardens. Many nests 

 are found under large flat stones, chiefly because stones hold the 

 heat of the sun and keep the nest from cooling too rapidly at night. 



The entire communal life of the ants might be said to be 

 based upon the perception of odor. If an ant, although one of the 

 same species, is put into a colony to which it does not belong, it 

 will be set upon and either driven out or killed. Ants never 

 really lose their community odor ; those absent for a long time, on 

 returning, apparently will be easily distinguished by their odor, and 

 eagerly welcomed by the other members of the nest. The commu- 

 nication of ants, as seen when they stop each other, away from the 

 nest, is evidently a process of smelling, for they caress each other 

 with the antennae, the organs with which odors are perceived. 















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Paul G. Howes 

 Some ants live on a sweet fluid which is given off by aphids or plant lice. They induce the 

 aphids to exude this fluid by stroking them with their antennae. Such aphids are carefully 

 watched and cared for by the ants. 



Ant larvae are called grubs. They are absolutely helpless and 

 are taken care of by nurses. The pupae may often be seen as 

 they are being carried in the mouths of the nurse ants, who bring 

 them to the surface for sun and air. They are wrongly called 

 ants' eggs in this stage. 



