Black ant
The black ant, commonly known as the common black ant or the black garden ant, is a widespread insect found predominantly in Great Britain and North America, with populations also existing in South America, Asia, and Australia. These ants are social creatures that live in large colonies, typically consisting of 4,000 to 7,000 individuals, which are structured around a single queen whose primary role is reproduction. The colonies are constructed underground, featuring intricate chambers and tunnels that can reach depths of over three feet.
Black ants are generally small, measuring about three to five millimeters in length, and exhibit a brown or black coloration. Their anatomy is divided into three parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen, with the head housing their mandibles and sensory antennae. Their diet consists of various plant materials and small animals, including honeydew produced by aphids, which they actively harvest. The reproductive cycle occurs during the summer months, with young queens establishing new colonies after mating. Black ants are not considered a threatened species, and their lifespan varies by caste, with some female workers and queens living for up to 15 years.
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Black ant
The black ant, also known as the common black ant and the black garden ant, is a very commonly seen insect throughout Great Britain and North America. They may also live in South America, Asia, and Australia. Like other ants, the black ant lives in a large colony which is led by one queen black ant. The queen black ant is the only reproductive female in the colony and the mother of all of the individuals in the colony.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Lasius
Species: Niger
The black ant is typically found in Great Britain and North America. It lives in large colonies of between 4,000 and 7,000 members beneath rocks, logs, stone walks, bricks, and under the ground. These colonies include chambers and tunnels and may extend more than three feet (one meter) into the earth. One main chamber is occupied by the queen black ant and her eggs, while other chambers are used as resting places for food, larval black ants, and pupal black ants.
Each black ant within a colony generally grows to be about three to five millimeters (1/3 to 1/2 of a centimeter) in length. Its brown or black body is divided into the three parts of head, thorax, or mid-body section, and abdomen, or lower-body section. The head is typically triangular and holds the mandibles, or jaws, of the black ant as well as the antennae. The antennae are used to sense smell, touch, taste, and hearing. The thorax is a long oval section from which the six legs of the black ant extend. Each of the legs has nine segments which are connected by moveable joints. At the end of each of the legs are two hooked claws which the black ant uses when digging and climbing. Behind the thorax is the round abdomen. Most of the internal organs are held in the abdomen. Only male and young queen black ants have wings. The worker females within the colony do not.
The black ant feeds on a variety of plant products and animals. Its diet may include insects, sowbugs, mites, nectar, and honeydew. Honeydew is produced by tiny, plant-living creatures called aphids. The black ant milks the honeydew from the aphids for food. The black ant chews its food with its sharp, pincer-like mandibles.
Young queen black ants and male black ants mate in the air during July and August, although this may vary with changes in climate. After mating the male usually dies within one to two days, and the female drops to the ground to begin her own colony. She scraps off her wings and crawls into the soil. Once in the soil the female seals herself inside and waits until she is ready to lay her eggs. After a few months she lays both fertilized and unfertilized eggs inside her new nest. The fertilized eggs develop into females and the unfertilized eggs develop into males. When the eggs hatch the female feeds the larvae her saliva and they quickly develop into mature black ants. This is how a colony of black ants begins.
Within this system the queen black ant is able to determine how many males and females she needs in her colony. Each position as worker female, reproductive female, and reproductive male is designed to serve a certain purpose. This process is called a caste system. Each position being a different caste.
The life span of the black ant differs according to its gender. While the male black ant lives for only a few months, female workers and queen black ants may live for up to 15 years or longer. The black ant is not a threatened species.
Bibliography
“Black Garden Ant.” Insect Week, 2024, www.insectweek.org/discover-insects/ants-bees-wasps-and-sawflies/black-garden-ant. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.
Marshall, Tom. “Ants - Black Garden Ant.” The Wildlife Trusts, www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/ants/black-garden-ant. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.