Ants Under Glass

A colony of ants is called a “formicary.” It can consist of one or more egg-laying queens and a large number of workers who tend to her (or their) needs, build and maintain the nest, forage for food and care for the young. Some insects live only a few days or hours, but the queen ant of one particular species – Pogonomyrmex Occidentalis Owyheei or Western Harvester Ant – can live as long as thirty years. A single ant can lift up to fifty times its own weight, and when they work together, they can carry even more. Ants don’t have ears, and many of them don’t have eyes. They “hear” vibrations through their feet, and they can use their antennae to communicate. They also send chemical messages, or pheromones, to tell of danger or to give directions to a food source. The world’s largest ant colony (so far) was found in Argentina; it housed 33 populations and was 3,700 miles wide!