Book 11, Question 57
How Do Ant Colonies Divide Up the Work?
Ant colonies divide up the work because each ant has a job, like in a tiny city! The queen lays eggs, and the workers do almost everything else. Dividing up the work lets a colony do much more than one ant could alone.
More fun facts
- Ant colonies work without anyone in charge.
- Each queen produces new batches of worker ants every year for the rest of her life.
- Many ant colonies divide work among ants of different body types, such as workers and soldiers.
- All ant species show group behavior, which scientists study to learn how teamwork evolves.
- Turtle ants create trails in the trees and circle along them between nests and food.
Sources: Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
Does the queen ant boss everyone?
No. Ant colonies work without central control. The queen's job is laying eggs.