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
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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

ARMY ANTS

Species of army ants do occur in North America and several are common in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains. Army ants do not construct permanent nests but periodically engage in raiding swarms during which they kill and consume other insects, including other ants. William Wheeler called these the "Huns and Tartars of the insect world." Contrary to graphic pictures in horror movies, army ants are no threat to humans in North America. Since these ants are shorter than a centimeter and are able to move only several yards per hour, anyone can easily walk away from a raiding swarm. In fact, I have been covered past my knees in these ants with no harm done.

Raids are usually conducted in the evening and at night; they may continue during daylight hours on warm, cloudy days. These raids usually cover an area of variable width and may be up to 40 yards long. Raids begin at the bivouac and proceed outward in one direction. Ants in the lead are continually overtaken and replaced from behind. Since army ants are nearly blind, they follow odor trails laid by the temporary leaders. Insects encountered are killed, cut into pieces and returned to the bivouac. These ants only consume fresh prey and make no effort to store excess food.

The colony usually bivouacs in a new location each night. Workers find a sheltered place somewhere in the area of the raid. Sometimes, they use the nests of ants they have raided. The army ant queen moves tot he new bivouac during the night accompanied by a group of workers that constantly surround her.

Army ants do not conduct mating swarms since the queen is permanently wingless. Instead, winged males fly from their colony in September and October to find another queen. Unmated queens remain with their mother's colony and wait for a male to find them. Once the new queen has mated, she entices some workers to follow her and the colony splits; some workers follow the new queen while others remain with the old queen.

Army ant colonies can sometimes be discovered by searching for their raiding swarms along paths or sidewalks after dusk. They are occasionally found under rocks or in colonies of raided ants. However, they are usually discovered through luck rather than diligence of the collector.