| Conceptual Reference Database for Building Envelope Research |
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| Essay:AntsHow do ants live? Ants are social insects living in colonies. Usually a colony has three distinct castes: queens, workers and males. Each caste looks different and has a different job.
What does the queen do? The queen lays eggs. Depending upon the species, a colony may have only one queen or they may have several. The colony protects the queen and she never leaves the nest.
What do workers do? The larger major workers look for food and guard the nest. The smaller minor workers expand the nest and tend the eggs and larvae.
How are new colonies made? A few times during the year, the queen produces winged males and females that leave the colony to start a new nest.
What are pharoah ants? Pharoah ants are very tiny, about one millimetre long. They are yellowish orange. Pharoah ants are often found in dwellings, bakeries and restaurants. Colonies nest in piles of clothes, between floorboards and in cracks and crevices. Colonies have several queens.
Pharoah ant
What are carpenter ants? Carpenter ants are large, measuring 13 millimetres long. They are black or black and brown. Carpenter ants nest in moist wood. Carpenter ants in a building are often a sign of a moisture problem. In natural areas, the ants nest in logs, stumps or dead or dying trees. In constructed areas, they nest in wooden posts, beams, walls and joists. They tunnel through the rotting wood leaving honeycombed galleries. Carpenter ants do not eat wood.
Carpenter ant
What are odorous house ants? Odorous house ants are small ants measuring 2.5 millimetres long. They nest outdoors. The ants construct their nest out of mounds of dirt. The worker ants search far for food. They often enter buildings. Once they have found food, they leave a scent trail for other ants. They feed on a variety of organic material. | ||||||||||