AWESOME ANTS No Matter What, These Mighty Insects Work Hard As a Team

RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS VOL. 3 >> ISSUE 10 >> JUNE 2011

AWESOME ANTS No matter what, these mighty insects work hard as a team.

>> TINY BUT TOUGH Yikes, what’s that tickling your arm? An ant! Wait! Before you flick it away, take a close look at one of the most hard-working insects you’ll ever meet. Somehow, while searching for food, that little ant found your arm. As a worker ant, her sole purpose in life is to feed and protect her colony. Like some bee and wasp species, ants are “social” insects. That means they work together to make nests and tend the young. They don’t live on D

W their own, like a butterfly or beetle. More than 10,000 species P T

Y of ants inhabit our world, ranging in size from a grain of sand B

O to one-and-a-half inches long. In Texas, more than 250 native T

O species play important roles in our different habitats. H

P WWW.TPWMAGAZINE.COM

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE * 43 E C N E I

C PHARAOH ANT (also S NATIVE SPECIES F O

called sugar ant): Light Y M

E tan to reddish in color and D A

C ANT-ATOMY (body parts) the smallest species. A

A I Nests indoors and out - N R

O doors, feeds on sweet and F I L

A greasy foods. Doesn’t usu - C

S ABDOMEN ally bite or sting. E T R U O

C CARPENTER

Y R ANT: Large black R E B

S or reddish-black A R

; RED HARVESTER ants with convex G R O . ANT: Reddish to abdomens. Nests D O

O dark brown ants in wood or decay - W

G with square heads. ing trees. Can bite U B /

R Gathers seeds and but doesn’t sting. E G

R stores in underground E B

H nest. Vegetation is often P E S

O dead in a large circle around

J HEAD

S THORAX – six legs main opening. Can bite and sting.

E ANT OR TERMITE? T R attached U O C

S LEAFCUTTING ANT : T N

A Rusty brown ants with

D E EYES – INVASIVES

G spines on thorax. Cuts N I

W compound eyes and carries leaves and

, R

E that detect

T buds into underground N E

P motion nest. Leaf debris used to grow R A C

fungus, which feeds colony. ; T

T MANDIBLES – strong O Workers bite. B B jaws that dig, cut, bite A

. C and carry objects RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT: N H WINGED TERMITES ANTENNAE – elbowed O Brown ants that build hills J

T or mounds in open areas. N • Two pairs of wings taste and touch and A

E If mound is disturbed, R I all equally sized communicate with F

, workers quickly attack by R

E • Hair-like antennae each other T both biting and repeatedly T

U • No narrow “waist” C

F stinging.

A RASBERRY CRAZY E

L ANT TALK

, ANT: Small reddish- R

E (HOW THEY COM - T

S brown ants that are E

V MUNICATE) R spreading from Houston A H

Social ,

E area. Crawls fast and nests in T I insects M huge numbers, usually under R

E must share • After flying off and T

;

. things like rocks or pots. Has no C information mating, the new queen LIFE CYCLE N I stinger but can bite. D sheds wings and lays E to survive. T I

M eggs that become I Ants tell one EGG LARVA PUPA ADULT L N

U female workers that

another “fol - S L

A low me to can’t reproduce. U

S WINGED ANTS I • The queen then lays HOW DO ANTS AFFECT V

/ food” or “attack!” E ANT-SWERS D

L more eggs, and work - HABITATS AND US? I • Two pairs of wings; by laying chemical

W How strong ers feed her. X trails, which they sense E hind wings shorter Depending on the species, ants… L are ants? A through their antennae. • New eggs become

L more workers, winged I C • Narrow waist POSITIVE NEGATIVE L L Y 10 to 50 times their weight! U C males or queens.

E between abdomen and T F I

•Control other insect populations •Hurt people allergic to their stings R

L • Workers tend brood; A

, T

T thorax

What do ants eat? Most eat live I O N males and new winged N

A •Disperse seeds •Can damage buildings

S H or dead insects, nectar, seeds

•Move soil around •Can kill crops F R or fruit. I A A mate; males die soon N H

P A

, •Pollinate plants •Spread diseases R T after. R N O A

Y G O I B 44 * JUNE 2011 TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE * 45 E C N E I

C PHARAOH ANT (also S NATIVE SPECIES F O

called sugar ant): Light Y M

E tan to reddish in color and D A

C ANT-ATOMY (body parts) the smallest species. A

A I Nests indoors and out - N R

O doors, feeds on sweet and F I L

A greasy foods. Doesn’t usu - C

S ABDOMEN ally bite or sting. E T R U O

C CARPENTER

Y R ANT: Large black R E B

S or reddish-black A R

; RED HARVESTER ants with convex G R O . ANT: Reddish to abdomens. Nests D O

O dark brown ants in wood or decay - W

G with square heads. ing trees. Can bite U B /

R Gathers seeds and but doesn’t sting. E G

R stores in underground E B

H nest. Vegetation is often P E S

O dead in a large circle around

J HEAD

S THORAX – six legs main opening. Can bite and sting.

E ANT OR TERMITE? T R attached U O C

S LEAFCUTTING ANT : T N

A Rusty brown ants with

D E EYES – INVASIVES

G spines on thorax. Cuts N I

W compound eyes and carries leaves and

, R

E that detect

T buds into underground N E

P motion nest. Leaf debris used to grow R A C

fungus, which feeds colony. ; T

T MANDIBLES – strong O Workers bite. B B jaws that dig, cut, bite A

. C and carry objects RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT: N H WINGED TERMITES ANTENNAE – elbowed O Brown ants that build hills J

T or mounds in open areas. N • Two pairs of wings taste and touch and A

E If mound is disturbed, R I all equally sized communicate with F

, workers quickly attack by R

E • Hair-like antennae each other T both biting and repeatedly T

U • No narrow “waist” C

F stinging.

A RASBERRY CRAZY E

L ANT TALK

, ANT: Small reddish- R

E (HOW THEY COM - T

S brown ants that are E

V MUNICATE) R spreading from Houston A H

Social ,

E area. Crawls fast and nests in T I insects M huge numbers, usually under R

E must share • After flying off and T

;

. things like rocks or pots. Has no C information mating, the new queen LIFE CYCLE N I stinger but can bite. D sheds wings and lays E to survive. T I

M eggs that become I Ants tell one EGG LARVA PUPA ADULT L N

U female workers that

another “fol - S L

A low me to can’t reproduce. U

S WINGED ANTS I • The queen then lays HOW DO ANTS AFFECT V

/ food” or “attack!” E ANT-SWERS D

L more eggs, and work - HABITATS AND US? I • Two pairs of wings; by laying chemical

W How strong ers feed her. X trails, which they sense E hind wings shorter Depending on the species, ants… L are ants? A through their antennae. • New eggs become

L more workers, winged I C • Narrow waist POSITIVE NEGATIVE L L Y 10 to 50 times their weight! U C males or queens.

E between abdomen and T F I

•Control other insect populations •Hurt people allergic to their stings R

L • Workers tend brood; A

, T

T thorax

What do ants eat? Most eat live I O N males and new winged N

A •Disperse seeds •Can damage buildings

S H or dead insects, nectar, seeds

•Move soil around •Can kill crops F R or fruit. I A A mate; males die soon N H

P A

, •Pollinate plants •Spread diseases R T after. R N O A

Y G O I B 44 * JUNE 2011 TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE * 45 Spike’s ActivityActivity PagePage >> WILD CONSERVATION >> WILD SCIENCE

DID YOU KNOW THAT OUR STATE REPTILE — THE GO ON AN ANT PICNIC! HORNED LIZARD (ALSO CALLED A HORNY TOAD) Set out a paper plate with lit- — FEEDS PRIMARILY ON HARVESTER ANTS? tle bits of different Sadly, though, we’re slowly losing this special foods, such as lizard. Why? More shopping centers and neighbor- breadcrumbs, hoods mean less habitat for horned lizards. Also, invasive fire ants — which the lizards don’t eat — peanut butter, have pushed out harvester ants. What can you do? sugar and Encourage your parents and other banana. Keep adults you know to stop an eye on the using pesti- plate while you eat cides (or use and play. How them spar- ingly). long does it IMPORTANT: take before an ant shows If you find up? When do more harvester ant beds on arrive? Which foods do your proper- they prefer? How big are ty, protect the pieces they carry HELLO INVASIVE SPECIES. them! Don’t kill those away? Where do they go? ants! Can you see the ants communicate with one another? Write about or draw what you see. GOODBYE TEXAS LAKES.

Texas is one of tfoenosisaxeT the best places in the countrynuocehtnisecalptsebeht to boat and ﬁsh. But thisttuB.hsﬁdnataobotyrtn msiht mayaayy not alwayswlaton aayy be true.urtebs Right now our lakes, riversvir,sekalruowonthgiR.eu and baysbdnasrev aayy are under attackarednueras bkcatt byy >> KEEPING IT WILD invasive species.seicepsevisavni .

Invasive plantsstnalpevisavnI like giant salvinia can doubleodnacainivlastnaigekil in size in a week andnakeewaniezisnielbuo blockcolbdn k BE OBSERV-ANT and either make recreational access.eccalanoitaercer And many species, likeekil,seicepsynamdnA.sse zebra mussels, harm waterretawmrah,slessumarbez qualityytilauqr and damage boataobegamaddna engines.senignet . your own ant farm or buy one. Go online for directions to make one, InvasiveIevisavn speciessspp eice s YouYYoo can doodnacu sso somethingommeeetth gni toto preventpreevvveeennt thethhee ssp spreadpre of invasivevnifoda visav e aren’tarree just plants.tnalptsujt’n ttss. using either aquariums, containers or ZebraZZee mussels aslessumarb alsosla o sspecies.ppee Clean,aelC.seic drainniard,na andaann dry youroyyrdd boat,obruo aatt trailer andnareliart, d gearaegd r jars (with lids!). threatenht rree neta TexasTTee ax s lakes..sekal eeveveryvvee timeityr mmee yyouo leaveeluo aavve tththehhee water.waattteer.

Learn to identify and report harmful invasive species. NEXT MONTH: www.texasinvasives.org Beach Tidings

TEACHER RESOURCE PHOTOBY TPWD Visit www.tpwmagazine.com to download rosnopSduorP a printable PDF, access lesson plans, find additional resources or order copies. 46 * J U N E 2 0 1 1