Types of Ants in Russia and the World

Ants are perhaps the most common insects on the planet, inhabiting various natural landscapes and having the ability to adapt to any living conditions. They belong to the family of formicides in the order Hymenoptera. Answering the exact question of how many species of ants in the world is definitely difficult. In total, there are more than ten thousand species of these insects in nature, three hundred of which are inhabitants of the expanses of the Russian Federation. The most interesting are the following types of ants.

Forest redheads

These are the most common ants in Russia. Representatives of this type have a unique ability to build huge houses, the height of which can reach up to 2 meters. Up to a million insects can live in such anthill.

Habitat red forest ants there are coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, whose age exceeds 40 years. The body of females and working individuals is 7 to 14 mm long and usually has a red-brown color. You can distinguish males by black body color and reddish-yellow legs. Photo of red forest ants is presented below.

Sexual activity of forest inhabitants begins in May. Depending on the needs of the family, either working individuals or only males or females appear from the laid eggs.

On a note!

Red forest ants are the protectors of the forest: they destroy various insects that damage the green spaces, especially during the period of mass reproduction of pests. So per day the inhabitants of one big anthill can collect more than 20,000 pest pupae.

Nomadic

This species of ants is called nomad because of the lifestyle of its representatives. Insects do not have their nest, they constantly travel, stopping only for a while to replenish their population. Then from their own bodies they build temporary housing, resembling a large lump. In its middle, the uterus lays eggs. With the advent of young offspring, the ant family "removes the anchor" and goes in search of another forage territory.

Interesting!

Huge fertility is the main feature queen uterus nomad ants. Every day from her eggs laid, about 130,000 individuals are born.

Nomads are individuals of relatively large sizes (their body length reaches up to 15 mm), which is why they often appear in the ranking the largest ants in the world. An awesome view of the jaw of an insect catches the eye, the size of which exceeds even the dimensions of the head. The female is larger than the male; during the egg laying period, her body size can reach up to 5 cm. Photos of nomads can be seen below.

Insects are found in Africa, Central and South Asia, as well as in North and South America. Killer ants they are called because all living creatures that fall in the way, nomads destroy. It can be not only small insects, representatives of this species are able to feed even on small rodents and reptiles.

Bulldogs

Ants of this breed began to be called bulldogs because of their large jaw, due to which insects get food.Also, with its help, they are repelled from the ground and can jump to a distance of 0.3 m. Adult ants swim well. The larvae eaten by working individuals feed on their own.

Representatives of this species prefer a tropical climate, so they can be found only on the Australian continent. In appearance, they are very similar to wasps: they have a large body, the dimensions of which reach up to 30 mm. What an ant bulldog looks like can be seen in the photo.

Interesting!

Ant Bulldog poses a serious danger to humans. The consequence of his bite can be an allergic reaction, and even anaphylactic shock.

Meadow

Ants of medium size (5-10 mm), which belong to the genus Formica. On a body covered with coarse hairs in the prothorax area, a spot is located with clear dark edges.

Adult individuals of this species of ants are very similar to the red forest ants, which were mentioned above. Their habitat is Western Europe, Central Asia, the Baltic states. On the territory of our country, meadow ants are found in Siberia. Meadows, forest edges and forest glades are their favorite habitats.

The food for meadow ants is the isolation of aphids and the bodies of dead invertebrates, but in a state of hunger they can attack living insects. But this is a rather rare phenomenon, therefore meadow ants cannot affect the mass distribution of pests.

On a note!

A feature of meadow ants is their ability to breeding twice a season. Usually, mating activity is manifested in late May and early September.

Bullet

These species of ants are not found in Russia; their habitat is the tropical forests of Nicaragua and Paraguay. Representatives of this species build their nests in tree trunks, trying to camouflage them with branches and leaves.

Bullet ants - very dangerous insects. Their bite is accompanied by severe pain, not subsiding throughout the day. Injured places become charred, turning black. The consequence of such ant attacks is the onset of tumors, paralysis, a manifestation of chills and weakness.

Garden

Such ants are found in our country, as well as in Portugal and the UK. They prefer to build their nests in rotten stumps and under lying objects. The smallest are individuals-workers (about 5 mm), slightly larger than males (up to 6 mm), the largest are females (at least 8-10 mm). These ants are black or dark brown in color, the body of insects is covered with small hairs.

Interesting!

A unique feature of garden queen queens is life spanwhich can reach three decades.

A favorite treat of garden ants is the pad (aphid isolation). That is why they protect and contribute to the spread of aphids - a malicious pest of gardens.

Brownies or Pharaohs

This is one of the varieties of ants that inhabit human habitation. Therefore quite often pharaoh ants called home. Individuals of this species are the smallest (their body length does not exceed 4 mm).

Sexually mature individuals are usually red or brown-yellow in color, have a dark abdomen and a transparent cuticle. Only males are capable of flying, precisely these flying ants can be observed during the mating season. In females, wings are present only during mating. After fertilization, females bite them off as unnecessary. Workers, on the other hand, are born without wings at all.

Dwelling in human habitation, ants of this species do not hibernate: they breed throughout the year, not flying to mate. Larvae hatching from eggs become sexually mature after 35-38 days. As a result, the ant family can be replenished by more than one thousand individuals in a fairly short time.

On a note!

Usually a colony of domestic ants has several anthills located not far from each other. In each of them, “queens” for several queens of queens. With the deterioration of living conditions in one nest, its inhabitants crawl into another. Exactly because of this reason pest control difficult.

Woodworms

Quite often, woodworm ants can be seen on trees where they collect honey dew. Insects got this name because they prefer to build their nest in the tree bark. Gnawing moves and chambers in it, woodworkers inflict tremendous harm on forestry.

Woodworm is the owner of black with a slight sheen of the body. Some representatives of this species are distinguished by a light breast and dark brown head color. In length, the insect can reach up to 10 mm. Various small invertebrates and aphid excreta serve as food for woodworms.

Habitat woodworms are inhabited by steppes and forest-steppes. Often they can be found in oak groves. Workers of this type build anthills in rotten stumps and wood of fallen trees, sometimes they can also be found in old wooden buildings. Insects descend to the ground only when they need to move to a nearby growing plant.