ANTS

Ants are social insects. They belong to the same family of bees and wasps.

Ants have a pair of elbowed antennae. Their body is like a distinctive node-like structure that forms a slander waist. The body is divided into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. Their color is varied: red, black, brown, and yellow. Their size is only 16 mm.

Landmass on earth is where ants live. They live in warm and moist climates. They do not live in severe cold climate like in Antarctic.

Although ants belong to the same family of bees, they do not fly. They use two movable parts of their body to turn in different ways. These two movable parts of the body are where their legs are.

Indonesian proverb says, “Ada gula, ada semut”. Sugar is sweet. Ants like to eat sweet things. Some of them also like to eat tiny animals and plants.

To keep their existence, ants breed by having eggs. If the eggs are fertilized, they become female ants. If the eggs are not fertilized, they will become male ants. After that process, the eggs become larvae. At this stage, if the larvae are fed much, they will become queens. If the larvae are fed less, they will become workers. Finally, they will become young ants after getting through the larvae stage.

Some ants protect themselves by biting and stinging. Fire ants, for example, can bite and then sting again and again in the same spot. Some of them protect themselves by injecting or spraying chemicals. This technique is like a cobra’s defense.