Myrm’s Ant Nest 2000-2013 © All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use & Acknowledgements |
Have you ever considered how much work really goes into the creation of an ant nest? Consider this; some ant nests are the equivalent of a group of humans building a tower block that is several miles high, using no equipment other than their hands and mouths. The ant nest is a shelter that provides the ants with security, defence against enemies, and an improved micro-environment. They also provide efficient brood rearing and food storage facilities.
There are many types of ant nest; most British ants, it seems, prefer to make their nests in damp soil as this is much easier to excavate than other materials. Some nests are very simple in construction with only a few galleries, while others are made up of very complex chambers with flat floors and interconnecting tunnels. The most skilled nest builder among the ants found in Britain is the little yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus, which can dig down a metre or more. These are the ants that may build very small mounds in your lawn during the summer, and are commonly mistaken for red ants. In open areas such as meadows and fields, Lasius flavus build much larger mounds which are normally covered with vegetation.
Lasius niger, the common black garden ant, like to cut out nests under stones or against a wall, and sometimes will invade the nests of other ant species that are more skilled at nest building than themselves. Lasius fuliginosus build carton nests, which are formed by the ants chewing up pieces of wood and mixing them with honeydew and a type of syrup, very similar to the way wasps will build their nests.
Myrmica (red ants) seem to prefer to excavate nests against a supportive structure and may also build under flat stones or create galleries against flat objects. Myrmica also will cut into soft wood if there are no supportive structures around.
Perhaps the most impressive nests of ants in this country are those of some of the Formica family (wood ants). In forests of Southern England Formica rufa build huge mounds out of pine needles and other forest floor debris, particularly on the edge of clearings and pathways. These nests are generally started around old tree stumps and the mound is built around these. The mound itself can reach a metre in height and several metres in circumference. The nest can also extend several metres into the ground beneath the mound.
The microclimate within the ant nest is strictly controlled to optimise specific conditions in order that the brood develop properly. The mounds of the wood ants are dotted with ventilation holes that can be opened or closed to regulate a constant environment.
Some ants in warmer countries build even more exotic and complex nests: Oceophylla longinoda, or more commonly called ‘Weaver ants’, create nests by ‘sewing’ leaves together, using a sticky secretion that is created by their larvae. The workers will form living chains of ants in order to pull the edges of two leaves together and hold them there, whilst other workers will hold their larvae, touch the head of the larvae to one edge and gently pull back. A string of larval silk will issue forth and the worker ant will attach this silk to the edge of the other leaf, and so bind the two leaves together. This will be repeated many times, by many ants, using many leaves, until a ball of leaves all sewn together is created; and it is in this that the ants will live.
Another type of ant nest are those created by the Army ants of South America, such as Eciton burchelli, which will create vast ‘living nests’ called bivouacs. These nests, which are only temporary, are created not from soil, leaves, plants or some other material, but by the bodies of the ants themselves. They will come together on a branch or some other object which is close to the ground, yet has a space beneath it, and grasp each others feet to form a huge mass of ants. Other ants will clamber on top to create ‘ropes’ and ‘chains’ of ants, and thereby create an impenetrable curtain of ants. Deep inside this living nest are found the brood and queen. Some of these bivouacs can contain many millions of ants. The ants can control the temperature of the bivouac by either creating gaps between the ants in order to let air in, or come closer together to keep the heat in.
Another type of ant nest is the artificial nests commonly used by ant enthusiasts or as part of a scientific study or experiment. There are many types of artificial nest, too numerous to list here, but the most common ones are converted fish tanks, the more traditional slim ‘ant farm,’ which consists of two sheets of glass or plastic hold together by a wooden or plastic frame, with a gap of about 0.5 – 1 inch between them. Between the two sheets is poured sand or soil, and the ants create a nest within, allowing you to peer into the ant nest. Other people have used test tubes and clear plastic piping to create artificial ant nests.
There are many types of ant nest; most British ants, it seems, prefer to make their nests in damp soil as this is much easier to excavate than other materials. Some nests are very simple in construction with only a few galleries, while others are made up of very complex chambers with flat floors and interconnecting tunnels. The most skilled nest builder among the ants found in Britain is the little yellow meadow ant Lasius flavus, which can dig down a metre or more. These are the ants that may build very small mounds in your lawn during the summer, and are commonly mistaken for red ants. In open areas such as meadows and fields, Lasius flavus build much larger mounds which are normally covered with vegetation.
Lasius niger, the common black garden ant, like to cut out nests under stones or against a wall, and sometimes will invade the nests of other ant species that are more skilled at nest building than themselves. Lasius fuliginosus build carton nests, which are formed by the ants chewing up pieces of wood and mixing them with honeydew and a type of syrup, very similar to the way wasps will build their nests.
Myrmica (red ants) seem to prefer to excavate nests against a supportive structure and may also build under flat stones or create galleries against flat objects. Myrmica also will cut into soft wood if there are no supportive structures around.
Perhaps the most impressive nests of ants in this country are those of some of the Formica family (wood ants). In forests of Southern England Formica rufa build huge mounds out of pine needles and other forest floor debris, particularly on the edge of clearings and pathways. These nests are generally started around old tree stumps and the mound is built around these. The mound itself can reach a metre in height and several metres in circumference. The nest can also extend several metres into the ground beneath the mound.
The microclimate within the ant nest is strictly controlled to optimise specific conditions in order that the brood develop properly. The mounds of the wood ants are dotted with ventilation holes that can be opened or closed to regulate a constant environment.
Some ants in warmer countries build even more exotic and complex nests: Oceophylla longinoda, or more commonly called ‘Weaver ants’, create nests by ‘sewing’ leaves together, using a sticky secretion that is created by their larvae. The workers will form living chains of ants in order to pull the edges of two leaves together and hold them there, whilst other workers will hold their larvae, touch the head of the larvae to one edge and gently pull back. A string of larval silk will issue forth and the worker ant will attach this silk to the edge of the other leaf, and so bind the two leaves together. This will be repeated many times, by many ants, using many leaves, until a ball of leaves all sewn together is created; and it is in this that the ants will live.
Another type of ant nest are those created by the Army ants of South America, such as Eciton burchelli, which will create vast ‘living nests’ called bivouacs. These nests, which are only temporary, are created not from soil, leaves, plants or some other material, but by the bodies of the ants themselves. They will come together on a branch or some other object which is close to the ground, yet has a space beneath it, and grasp each others feet to form a huge mass of ants. Other ants will clamber on top to create ‘ropes’ and ‘chains’ of ants, and thereby create an impenetrable curtain of ants. Deep inside this living nest are found the brood and queen. Some of these bivouacs can contain many millions of ants. The ants can control the temperature of the bivouac by either creating gaps between the ants in order to let air in, or come closer together to keep the heat in.
Another type of ant nest is the artificial nests commonly used by ant enthusiasts or as part of a scientific study or experiment. There are many types of artificial nest, too numerous to list here, but the most common ones are converted fish tanks, the more traditional slim ‘ant farm,’ which consists of two sheets of glass or plastic hold together by a wooden or plastic frame, with a gap of about 0.5 – 1 inch between them. Between the two sheets is poured sand or soil, and the ants create a nest within, allowing you to peer into the ant nest. Other people have used test tubes and clear plastic piping to create artificial ant nests.
