The Ant
Ants are from the Formicidae family . There are about
22,000 species of ants worldwide , many are found in the tropical rain forests . There are 1.5 million ants for every person on earth ! Ants have colonized every continent in the world except Antarctica ( too cold ) and a few frigid islands . They have been around since before the dinosaurs . This insect is successful due to their ability to adapt to their existing conditions and have diverse habitats .
Why Don ' t Ants Make Good Pollinators ? Ants are more likely to take nectar without effectively pollinating flowers . Ants are among the most abundant , diverse , and ecologically important groups of insects on the earth ; but they , unlike most pollinators , cannot fly from plant to plant . Most ants lack wings and typically forage only short distances . Ants form a group of social insects that are great lovers of nectar . These busy insects are often observed visiting lowhanging flowers to collect energy rich nectar by crawling into the flower . A few succulents and other plants are pollinated by ants . Plants in harsh , dry lands seem to rely on ants , as there might be few other pollinators available . Ants are not efficient at carrying pollen over long distances between plants and their nests .
What Comes in a Colony of Ants ?
Ants live in social groups called colonies . Similar to honey bees , there are different types of ants living in the colony and performing designed roles .
Solider ants ( females ) are the protectors .
Working forage ants ( females ) gather food . A foraging group is called a raid . They can travel over 300 feet in one night gathering food .
Nursery ants ( females ) care for the babies .
One sizable queen ant per colony produces eggs day and night and the male drone ants dote on the queen . Neither rarely leave the nest area .
Ant colonies wage wars and take over other colonies . The losing colony becomes slave ants looking after the winning colony .
The Ladybug & Beetles
Beetles are insects with three body parts , six legs , and most have two sets of wings . The front wings are thick and hard and lay over the thin back wings , which are used for flying . Beetles have two antennae on their head . Their antennae are feelers used to touch , smell , and taste things .
Colors and Markings : Ladybugs are colorful for a reason . Their markings help protect them by communicating to predators that they should eat something else because ..." I taste terrible ." When threatened , the bugs will secrete an oily , foul-tasting fluid from joints in their legs . They may also play dead for their protection . Birds are ladybugs ' main predators , but they also fall victim to frogs , wasps , spiders , bats , fish , and dragonflies .
Most ladybugs have oval , dome-shaped bodies with six short legs . Depending on the species , they can have spots , or no markings at all and come in many colors . Seven-spotted ladybugs are red or orange with three spots on each side and one in the middle with its shiny red-and-black body . They have a black head with white patches on either side .
Are Ladybugs Boy or Girl ? The ladybug is the common name given to beetles in the Coccinellidae family . This is misleading because not all ladybugs are ladies ; they can be either female or male . It is difficult to determine the sex of a ladybug , but females tend to be larger than males .
Source : West Greeley Conservation District / 4-H Pollinator Habitat Program
How Useful are Ladybugs ? Ladybugs are one of the most common of the beetle family of insects . Seven-spotted ladybugs are native to Europe but were brought to North America in the mid-1900s to help control aphid populations . Most people like ladybugs because they are pretty , graceful , and harmless to humans . Farmers appreciate them because they do eat aphids , mites , scales , thrips , white flies , and other plant-eating pests . One ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects in its lifetime .
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