ant
a soldier ant
(plural: ‘ants‘)
a kind of common insect; small without wings; related to wasps and bees; about12,000 species (kinds) found all over the world, except in Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Polynesia and Hawaiian Island in central and southern Pacific Ocean
female ~~ queen (only one in a colony)
baby ~~ larvae & antling
group ~~ colony, army, swarm
home ~~ ant hill, nest, ant mound
movement ~~ crawl
a queen ant with a large abdomen to store eggs
They live in well-organised societies. There are castes in their societies and each ant in the colony has a specific job to perform—division of labour, just as in the human societies. The nest or ant hill is built with great care, and even the modern architects find it quite amazing and difficult to understand!
castes in the ant society
1.
queen ant
= only one in a colony and lays eggs all its life; has wings until it mates only once in its life time, and then the wings drop off; the only wok it does is to lay eggs; and grows so large that it cannot move; some queens live up to 15 years
2.
drone/male ant
= has wings and lives until it mates with a queen in the air, and then dies soon after (mating)
3.worker ants
= cannot lay eggs; bring in food; look after the eggs and the babies, keep the nest clean, feed the queen and the babies; live up to seven years
4.
soldier ants
= cannot lay eggs; guard and protect the colony from enemies
a worker ant
1.
as busy as an ant = very busy; working without stopping
2.
as industrious as an ant = very hard-working
3.
have ants in (one’s) pants = restless; impatient
About the Author:BC Kumar
BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.
