Ants: Nature's Tireless Marvels and What They Teach Us

Let's Get Acquainted

An ant's life begins as an egg, transitioning to a larva, then pupating before becoming an adult ant.

During the larval stage, ants can't move, so the colony feeds them. Interestingly, the type of nutrition determines if the larva grows into a queen or a worker. As they grow, larvae shed their skin multiple times before pupating.

When a worker ant emerges, it starts by caring for the queen and larvae. Later, it digs and maintains the nest, eventually moving on to defense and foraging. Older ants, closer to the end of their days, take on riskier tasks like food searching.

Worker ants live one to three years, while queens can live up to 30 years. Males usually live just a few weeks. In tropical areas, ants are active year-round, but in cooler climates, they hibernate in winter.

Body Structure

Ants have a body divided into three parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. They possess three pairs of legs: one pair exits from the upper part of the thorax, and two pairs from the lower part.

The ant's head features a pair of antennae for smell and touch, as well as mandibles for grasping food and combat.

Their compound eyes consist of tiny lens clusters, giving most ants poor to moderate vision. However, species like the Australian bulldog ant have excellent eyesight, detecting objects a meter away.

Winged ants are found only among queens and males of reproductive age.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Ants in Literature

Ants appear in the book of Proverbs, symbolizing wisdom and industriousness:

"Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer" (Proverbs 30:24-25). Additionally, it's suggested that the lazy observe ants for life lessons: "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise" (Proverbs 6:6)

The wise suggest that the lazy take note of ants' behaviors to learn two important traits:

1."While it has no chief, officer, or ruler" (Proverbs 6:7) - Self-discipline and personal responsibility. Ant colonies have queens, but the queen doesn't manage; she merely eats and lays eggs. Worker ants operate with no overseer, completing tasks independently.

2."She prepares her bread in summer, and gathers her food in harvest" (Proverbs 6:8) - Planning and saving. Colonies store food during summer to last through winter, teaching us to prepare for future shortages.

More to Learn from Ants? Watch an entertaining and insightful video.

Ants and People

Many ants make their nests near human residences, often finding their way into kitchen cabinets. These small household ants include species like the mischievous and runner ants. Other ants, like the harvester ants, impact agriculture by collecting large quantities of grains from fields.

Some, like carpenter ants, nest in wood, damaging furniture. Poisonous ants may directly harm people, typically requiring pest control solutions.

Where Do I Live and Who Are My Neighbors?

Ants live in colonies, with each one having a private nest. The organization and structure of the colony and nest-building vary by species. For instance, black harvester ants dig underground, while the Israeli builder ant constructs a mound. The yellow thief ant frequently relocates its nest.

Roles within a colony include queen, males, workers, and soldiers, each differing in physical structure.

The queen is the only one who can reproduce; all other ants are her offspring. Typically, a single queen exists per nest, though some species house multiple queens or occasionally none at all.

Males have wings and are regarded as "idle," doing little besides eat, while their sole role is to continue the lineage. Workers manage all colony tasks, including caring for the queen and eggs, gathering food, expanding and digging the nest, and collecting water. Soldiers protect the colony from enemies and other ants threatening the workers and queen.

How Do I Defend Myself?

To defend against predators, ants bite or sometimes sting, often injecting chemicals into their targets.

The most painful (though not deadly to humans) sting is from the "bullet ant," common in Central and South America. Fire ants possess venom sacs containing piperidine alkaloids, with stings that may pose dangers to particularly sensitive individuals.

Trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus) have jaws that close faster than any trap mechanism in the animal kingdom.

Beyond predator defense, ants protect colonies from disease. Some workers maintain hygiene by "burying" dead ants outside the nest.

Colonies living in tree holes and plants shield against floods by drinking water from nests and spouting it out. Fire ants create living rafts as flood protection.

Deadliest Ants in the World

Driver ants, known for their soldier-like organization, are infamous for causing havoc while altering colonies. When threatened by an outsider, a million-strong march retaliates. Be cautious not to step on one and incite an angry march.

Driver ants grow up to 3mm long, and queens up to 2cm, ranking them among the largest ants globally. They attack worms and any moving creature in their path without hesitation.

Rather than sting, driver ants deliver powerful, painful bites. African tribes sometimes use them to suture open wounds—a natural alternative to stitches.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Expressions and Talmudic Wisdom

1."Go to the ant, you lazy one, see its ways and become wise" (Proverbs 6:6) - Talmudic scholars admired ants' behavior, learning from them by simply watching. Rabbi Shimon Ben Chalafte conducted an experiment verifying that ants indeed "have no supervisor." By misleading them into believing one ant had cheated, the others immediately attacked (Chullin 57b). He concluded there was no king since they didn't wait for royal judgment.

Other sages disagreed, arguing that perhaps there was usually a king, but it was a transitional government, or the king was among the attacking ants bolstering that decision.

2. "Observe the discipline they possess, as they avoid theft... an incident where an ant dropped a grain, and all sniffed but none took it until its owner retrieved it" (Devarim Rabbah 5:2) (and Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin). This led to the understanding that ants respect one another and are non-thieving.

3. According to Rabbi Eliezer's Mishnah, ants represent caution, cautiously testing conditions before acting: "When ants emerge in summer heat, they send scouts to check if the heat has subsided. If told it has, they come out, but retreat in warmth, repeating as necessary" (Rabbi Eliezer's Mishnah).

4."She prepares her bread in summer, and gathers her food in harvest" (Proverbs 6:8) - From ancient times, it's known ant colonies build nests with isolated chambers to prevent water intrusion: "Ants, having three homes, never store belongings in the upper, against rain, nor lower, against mud, but middle" (Devarim Rabbah 5:2). During summer, each colony stores several kilograms of grain to ensure a food supply in winter. We learn resilience, saving for lean times even if presently earning enough: "Learn from it to prepare while you can" (Metzudat David).

Wonders of Creation:

Ants can drag loads 30 times their weight and carry up to 50 times their body weight. Imagine a person lifting a truck. Incredible!

Ants can carry up to 50 times their weight (Photo: shutterstock)

More wonders of creation about ants:

Watch: Blind ants vs. venomous snake – who will win?

Surprising: How do ants precisely know how much food they need?

Watch: What do robot ants do?