the larvae food, and helped the young 
ants to come out of their cocoons. Soon 
there were hundreds of eggs hatching. 
The family was beginning to grow. 
At first only workers hatched from the 
eggs. But later the Queen laid special 
kinds of eggs, which hatched into winged 
princes and princesses. The ant colony 
was complete. 
INDOOR WORK 
Not far from the Queen’s chamber are 
the nurseries. Here the little larvae are 
being fed. The nurses are giving them 
drops of honeydew. Then they begin to 
clean the baby ants with their tongues. 
From the baby ants’ skin comes a very 
sweet fat. No wonder the nurses like to 
feed and clean them! 
Outside the nurseries, the halls are as 
busy as the streets of a city. Ants hurry 
to and fro, some carrying food, some 
carrying dirt, some on their way to work. 
29 
