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Keyword: Ants |
Overview - a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z |
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| In addition to anteaters (which only exist outside Europe) , ants have several natural enemies - certain bird species, small snakes, amphibians and spiders Other insects or spiders sometimes live as guests in the ant nest. Ants are often attacked by blood-sucking parasites such as mites. Some people regard ants as harmful especially those who collect cereal seeds or keep aphids domesticated in the garden.
Furthermore, skin contact with the poison from fire ants can cause allergic reactions. Overall, however, ants, are very beneficial because they ventilate and mix the soil. Pet ants live in a box from glass what is known as a Formicarium. | | |
| | Rove beetles | | ..., mountains or near the polar regions. Most, however, live in the tropics.
The dietary habits of rove beetle larvae are generally the same as the adults. While most rove beetles are predatory some species eat fungi, or putrescent animals and plants. The larvae of some species live as parasites? on the pupaeof flies. There are species of rove beetle, which only inhabit birds' nests, mammals' nests, ants' nests, termites' nests or those of wasps. In ants' nests, rove beetles hunt for their hosts, eat carrion or decimate the hatching ants. Even as migrant guests they are to find amongst hunting ants’ armies where it occurs that they ‘ride’ ants instead of walking. Rove beetle have defence glands, the secretions of which can cause blistering and rashes in humans.
Some species of rove beetle can cause damage to strawberries or fruit trees. However, the rove beetle is enormously valua... | | |
| | Ants | Ants (Formicidae), a family within the order Hymenoptera, are among the colony building insects and are found almost everywhere in the world, but are especially common in the tropics. From the 12,500 species that are known, 180 can be found in Eur...
...nd almost everywhere in the world, but are especially common in the tropics. From the 12,500 species that are known, 180 can be found in Europe. In Germany, the Red forest ant and the Black garden ant are the best known ant species. Fossils of ants have been found dating back to 130 million years ago. | | |
| | Sense of smell and sense of taste are highly developed in ants. They communicate primarily by means of pheromones. Ants always behave aggressively when they encounter ants from other colonies. The Red forest ant is an example of an omnivore. Its diet consists of insects like caterpillars, butterflies and flies as well as other invertebrates like spiders. | | |
| | It is reported that ants domesticate or enslave other ants from different colonies. Ants which form permanent nests most frequently live beneath the ground. Other forms of dwelling are hill nests, wood nests or silk nests. | | |
| | Velvet ants | | Velvet ants (Mutillidae), also referred to as cow killers or cow ants, are actually a family of wasps in the order Hymenoptera, the suborder Apocrita, the section Aculeata and the superfamily Vespoidea. The velvet ants are divided into 7 subfamilies, which include the Mutillinae, Myrmillinae, Myrmosinae, Pseudophotopsidinae, Rhopalomutillinae, Sphaeropthalminae and Ticoplinae.
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| | There are approximately 6000 species of velvet ants worldwide;the two subfamilies Sphaeropthalminae and Mutillinae include about 2000-3000 species. The majority of velvet ants live in tropical and subtropical regions. The earliest fossil records of velvet ants preserved in amber are 25-40 million years old. | | |
| | The young ants overwinter twice in the nest which is built in the dead wood of trees and located up to three metres in height. The major part of the nest is under the soil. Some nests are only in the ground. After reaching sexual maturity, the young ants swarm from the nests on warm afternoons in May and June New colonies can be founded either by individual queens or by several Queens. In the latter case the eggs of the queens are stored commonly in a single breeding chamber , and care of the bro... | | |
| | Black garden ants are active from March on. They live in forest edges and in grasslands and prefer shade and moist habitats. They feed on honeydew from aphids and mealybug that the ants hijack or caringly hold as animals. | | |
| Black garden ants mate in July. The males, whose life expectancy is only a few days, then die, while the young queen discards her wings and goes off in search of a suitable nesting ground. After the Queen has laid her eggs she looks after them for some time unt...
...r the brood. Later they also expand the nest above ground. The queens, who can live up to the age of 29 , lay several thousand eggs in their lifetime. After 14 days the larvae hatch . The larvae pupate after 2 weeks. After a month the adult ants hatch. | | |
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