Ants In The Animal Kingdom

In the animal kingdom, many types of insects work together to build their homes. For example, termites work together to create impressive mounds. Ants also work together to make their homes, known as nests.
Most ants live together in large groups called colonies. Colonies are highly organized societies. They can consist of hundreds, thousands, and even millions of ants. The ants in a colony work together to choose the site of their nest.
Different types of ants have different jobs to help their colony thrive. Within most ant colonies, there are three types of ants. The queen ensures the colony keeps going producing the eggs to create more ants. The males mate with the queen so she can produce eggs. All the workers are female. They collect

food and supplies, build the nest, and protect it from intruders.
Nests built by worker ants are usually located underground, under rocks, or in leaf litter. Some ant nests are even built in trees! Nests start small but expand as the colony grows. Some ant nests can cover acres underground. They can include chambers and passageways. No matter how big or small, the primary purpose of a nest is to help larvae grow so the colony continues to exist.
Anthills are used to mark nests on the surface. They allows ants to enter and exit the nest. Anthills usually consist of small mounds of dirt.
Because ant nests are usually found underground, it is hard for humans to observe a colony in action in its home. However, the next time you see an anthill, you know it marks an entranceway into the interesting world of ants.