Ant Colonies: Fascinating Miniature Civilisations

A line of ants in activity at night time. Shot at the Poomaale Collective, Coorg.

Homes, neighbourhoods, civilisations – they’re not just limited to humans, but a variety of animals too. Some homes of animals are clearly visible – like a bird’s nest or honeycombs. And some might not be visible right away (add examples). Ants’ nests, however, can be spotted easily – anthill being the common visible form. 

Ants reside in groups. 

You may consider them as pests, but the way their ‘societies’ function is pretty intriguing. You may have come across lines of ants, carrying sweet crumbles or lifting unbelievable amounts of weights. But have you ever taken the time to observe their lifestyle?

Extremely disciplined and natural self-starters, these tiny creatures have a lot to learn from. Diligent, hardworking team players, they don’t let their size define their ability to build. Maintaining strict queues, communicating clearly with their antennae, and helping their colonies by foraging and passing food – come rain or sun, they exemplify a self-disciplined lifestyle and show us what is possible when we work collectively. Read on to discover how ants organise themselves into societies and built their neighbourhoods.

What are Ant Colonies & Anthills?

An ant colony is a physical as well as social structure of ants. It is like their neighbourhood. Different types of ants are organised in different roles to propagate and protect their colony. anthills are the naturally built structures that house ant colonies. They’re the exterior protection to the complex social network of an ant colony, and mark the entrance to this fascinating world of ants. 

Ants are known for living in anthills, but not all ants choose to live in this type of habitat. In fact, some ants make their homes in unique locations such as crevasses in walls or underground colonies. Army ants take it a step further and even build nests to protect their queen. These ants may not be the most common, but they demonstrate the diverse and adaptable nature of ant colonies.

For the ants that do build anthills, many different species create these structures. Formica ants, yellow meadow ants, fire ants, harvester ants, and more are among the types of ants that construct these impressive homes. Formica ants, in particular, are known for building the largest anthills with heights of up to 2.5 meters and circumferences of 20 meters.

While we may think of anthills as being exclusive to ants, they are actually home to a variety of other creatures as well. Predators such as beetles and other insects like greenflies also live within these structures, taking advantage of the safety and resources that the ants have created. With many tiny entrances and a complex network of tunnels, an anthill provides a thriving ecosystem for a multitude of organisms.

Purpose of an Anthill

The primary purpose of an anthill is to protect the queen and the larvae. Worker ants build the anthill by creating subterranean tunnels and carrying building materials on their backs. They carefully control the temperature and climate of the nest by moving the brood to the most suitable part of the hill depending on the external climate. Ants prefer warmth and build their hills in a way that generates heat from the sun and conserves heat for when the sun sets, thus creating a clever solution for climate control.

Ants choose strategic locations to build their homes, such as between tree roots, under rocks, and inside tree logs, to provide shelter and protection from predators. They also need a location with a source of food nearby. Ant hills have solid outer structures that provide better protection, and the location is oriented in the direction with the most sunlight to protect them from the harsh sun.

Structure of an Ant Colony

Ant colonies have a well-structured system to function effectively. They can become defensive against predators and attack other ant species from other colonies to protect their colony.

The ant colony consists of different types of ants, with specific roles to play. 

Queen Ant

The queen ant is the founder and leader of the ant colony. Her primary function is to populate the colony by laying thousands of eggs. The queen ant’s chamber is located deep within the colony, and they can live longer than others, up to 30 years. They have wings and are much larger than the average ant.

Swarmers

Also called flying ants or drones, swarmers are male ants whose only function is to mate with the queen. Once they have fulfilled their purpose, they die.

Worker Ants 

They are female ants that do not lay eggs. Their responsibilities include building, maintaining, and feeding the colony. They can live from a few weeks up to a year.

Brood

Also known as alates or reproductives, the brood is a collective term used for the offsprings of the queen. Once they mature, they swarm together to make new colonies.

Architecture of an Anthill

Ants are known for their impressive construction skills, and their anthills are no exception. The architecture of an anthill is fascinating, as it may appear random from the outside, but it is a meticulously planned and executed structure with many interconnected chambers for different purposes. They range in size, from a mere inch to over 10 feet in the wild, and every nest is unique. In fact, architects often take inspiration from anthills when constructing human structures.

Exterior of an Anthill

The exterior of an anthill looks like a mound or heap of sand with a crater-like depression in the centre. The soil crust often contains pebbles and stones to keep the chambers warm, and resin from trees can be found, which may act as an antibacterial.

Interiors of an Anthill

The interior of the anthill is a complex structure with many tunnels that connect numerous chambers of varying sizes. Each chamber serves a different purpose, including nurseries, food storage, and a place for worker ants to rest. Interestingly, worker ants move the larvae to rooms near the top of the anthill during the day to keep them warm, then move them to lower chambers at night to keep them safe.

Building Materials

Ants are practical creatures, so they use materials that they can carry easily to build their anthills, such as fine sand, dirt, clay, pine needles, and twigs. Twigs are used as reinforcement to keep the structure safe and protect them from harsh climates. Sometimes, they even bring seeds inside the anthill and let them sprout and grow, which acts as a great camouflage. Ants build anthills for the long term, so they make them as sturdy as possible from the beginning.

The Two Sides

An anthill has two parts, above ground and underground, and many ant species build more than one nest. Extra nests are called satellite nests and serve as a way to expand their territory. These nests can carry the queen, brood, or worker ants, but no satellite nesters are allowed into the mother colony. Ants meet other ants from different nests while foraging, but they don’t harm each other because they all belong to the same colony.

Lifespan of Anthills

Anthills, when built well, can have an impressive lifespan of up to hundreds of years. The average lifespan of an ant colony ranges from 1 to 30 years, depending on the species of ants. In some cases, ants live as long as their queen, or even longer. Fire ants, which are harmful to livestock and children, can live up to 7 years with the queen laying thousands of eggs every day. Carpenter ants, on the other hand, hollow out wood to build their nests, and their colonies can survive up to 5 years.

The size of the anthill is often indicative of the colony’s maturity. The larger the nest or mound, the more mature the colony. Fire ants are known for their ability to build super colonies, which are cooperative colonies of many nests working together, spanning miles. This is due to their impressive ability to build a nest quickly, with some fire ants being capable of building a nest within a day! Additionally, these colonies can support multiple queens.

Threats to Ant Colonies & Anthills

Ant hills are vulnerable to several predators such as beetles which burrow into the ant hill and prey on the larvae. Natural calamities like floods and erosion can destroy anthills too. Human activities and encroachments often disrupt their societies. If the ant hill gets damaged for any reason, the ants disperse and build a new nest at another location. 

Ants may lie at the bottom of the food chain but aren’t insignificant. Small yet fierce, they can collectively take down prey slightly bigger than themselves and can make their presence be felt through their articulate civilisations. Every creature has a role to play in the larger picture and we are constantly trying to decode these roles on our journey to forest-friendly sustainable living.