Myrm’s Ant Nest 2000-2008 © All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use & Acknowledgements |
Are all ant nests the same? Do they always dig into soil?
Ant nests; we have all seen them. Some people despair when they see them, other people perhaps do not notice them, or give very little thought to them. Yet, 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.
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.
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