Volume 41, Number 1, January 1995:
Collection and Maintenance of Ants
and
Studying Ants: A Beginning
by Mark B. DuBois

Text-only version

ISSUE HOME PAGE

ABOUT THIS ISSUE
- about KSN
- about the author

IN THIS ISSUE
- introduction
- collection
- maintenance, observation ant farm
- maintenance, classroom use
- project observations
- literature cited
- books for children on ants

Studying Ants: A Beginning
by Mark B. DuBois
- males, queens and worker ants
- establishing a colony
- caring for young
- growth of an ant colony
- ant senses
- gardening ants
- harvester ants
- parasitic ants
- acrobat ants
- army ants
- questions, activities and investigations with ants
- further reading

SLIDESHOW
View all images in this issue.

Collection and Maintenance of Ants to Use for Teaching
by Roger D. Akre, Laurel D. Hansen, and Elizabeth A. Myhre

and

Studying Ants: A Beginning
by Mark B. DuBois

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

ISSN: 0022-877X

Published by EMPORIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Prepared and Issued by THE DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Editor: JOHN RICHARD SCHROCK

Editorial Committee: DAVID EDDS, TOM EDDY, GAYLEN NEUFELD

Editors Emeritus: ROBERT BOLES, JOHN BREUKELMAN, ROBERT F. CLARKE

Typist: NANCY GULICK

Circulation and Mailing: ROGER FERGUSON

Circulation (this issue): 6500

Printed by: ESU Press

Online edition designed by: Terri Weast

The Kansas School Naturalist is sent free of charge and upon request to teachers, school administrators, public and school librarians, youth leaders, conservationists, and others interested in natural history and nature education. In-print back issues are sent free as long as supply lasts. Out-of-print back issues are sent for one dollar photocopy and postage/handling charge per issue. A back issue list is sent free upon request. The Kansas School Naturalist is sent free by third class mail to all U.S. zipcodes, first class to Mexico and Canada, and surface mail overseas. Overseas subscribers who wish to receive it by airmail should remit US $5.00 per year (four issues) airmail and handling. The Kansas School Naturalist is edited and published by Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas. Editor: John Richard Schrock, Division of Biological Sciences. Third class postage paid at Emporia, Kansas. Address all correspondence to Kansas School Naturalist, Division of Biological Sciences, Box 4050, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801-5087. Opinions and perspectives expressed are those of the author(s) and/or editor and do not reflect the official position or endorsement of ESU.

Editor's Note: This issue of the Naturalist addresses general biology, follows our "Ants of Kansas" issue, and consists of two brief articles. The first article is written for teachers and provides directions for collecting and raising ants for classroom learning. It is directed to beginners and should be of particular use to elementary teachers. DuBois gives an in-depth treatment of ants that can be immediately used as a reading by secondary biology teachers, with activities to spur the interest of advanced high school students. Since the articles may be used separately, a few concepts are repeated.

Top Cover Photo: Digging into a mound of Formica podzolica near Bovill, Idaho in October. This mound is about 2.5m by 0.7m. The mound is somewhat flattened as the colony was preparing for winter. At this time, the mound has no external tunnels since the ants have allowed them to be closed by rainfall.

Bottom Cover Photo: A parasitic ant, Polyergus breviceps, mandibles greatly enlarged to show scimitar shape. Scanning electron microscope photograph by Mark DuBois.

Other Kansas School Naturalist on insect topics:
- "Checklist of Ants of Kansas" Vol. 40 2, April 1994 [in-print and free upon request]
- "Springtails" (Collembola) Vol. 39 No. 2, October 1992 [in-print and free upon request]
- "Snow Flies" Vol. 38 No. 2, May 1992 [in-print and free upon request]
- "Making an Insect Collection" Vol. 35 No. 1, October 1988 [out-of-print; photocopy for $1.00]
- "I Didn't Know That! (Insects)" Vol. 25 No. 4, April 1979 [out-of-print; photocopy for $1.00]
- "Tiger Hunting in Kansas" (Tiger Beetles) Vol. 19 No. 2, December 1972 [out-of-print]

This issue of The Kansas School Naturalist is underwritten by The Bay Foundation, New York NY