The Ants "Formicide"

I greet again the science and biology-loving Hive universe, continuing with the photography work of the small natural world and other spaces, we have the most hard-working insect, organized as a small society such as ants. It is also considered a strong pest in some crops, as is the case of the pepper since it attacks it very frequently.

This type of insects are like the cousins ​​of the wasp, since it is part of the eusocials, with a wide range of variety of spices, when you approach the cultivation of pepper, notice how these insects form large colonies in an organized way, also they are very territorial. Within this topic, in what I document, there was in our nature an already extinct variety such as Titanmyrmy Giganteum, as a kind of giant in its kingdom, a very particular characteristic of this insect is in addition to its famous antennae, they have metapleural glands and a very amazing endoskeleton.

Within the society and ecosystem of the ants, they can build a colony on crops, underground, trees, something very unique to ants, at the moment that they are building their colony and note in a place of this construction, some dead ants, they realize that they are being attacked or stalked by something, be it a parasite and disease, making the decision to expand their colony elsewhere.

It is also part of that insect that reproduce in great volume, since the queen ant has the ability to lay up to 1,200 to 1,300 eggs daily.

For them, an unknown person like me, for example, the ant prepares its own food, based on the leaves and other plant matter, to then be placed in a place to create a fungus that produces gongylidia, as its food source. Another important fact is: Why? they attack the pepper crop a lot and lay their eggs in it, that is when this crop is in the flowering process, it releases a type of pheromones and also where it is found the flower produces a type of starch, which is very striking For the ant, that is why the coffee bean is usually placed on the crop to neutralize the odor and insulate against this pest.

All photos taken by @ newton666.

[1] —The undefeated fire ant: Biology, ecology, economic and environmental impact by Carlos A. Blanco– 2017.