What do ants eat depending on the image and place of residence
Ants are one of those animals that can be found in almost any part of the planet. Many species of these insects live in the wild and are of great benefit as forest orderlies. These industrious creatures won their title due to the fact that they feed on various residues of plant and animal origin, thereby significantly accelerating the process of their decomposition.
Content
What do ants eat
The ant family includes a huge number of different species and the diets of each of them can be very different. This is due to the different living conditions of insects, since they are found on all continents except Antarctica.
What is included in the diet of ants living in the wild
Ants are famous for their omnivorous nature, but, in fact, their eating habits vary greatly even among representatives of the same species at different stages of development.
What do larvae eat
The main purpose of the larvae is the accumulation of a supply of nutrients, thanks to which the pupa can turn into an adult ant.
Their diet consists mainly of protein food, which serves as a "building material" for future adults.
Young offspring are fed by working individuals, who are often called "nannies". They bring and chew for their wards such products:
- caterpillars;
- butterflies;
- cicadas;
- small beetles;
- grasshoppers;
- eggs and larvae.
Foraging ants are engaged in the extraction of protein food for the larvae. They may pick up the remains of already dead insects, but may also actively prey on live invertebrates. Foragers are also involved in supplying food to the anthill for the rest of the colony.
Sometimes the larvae are fed unfertilized eggs that the queen has laid. Such "empty" eggs usually appear due to an oversupply of food and are called trophic eggs.
What do adults eat
Adult ants do not grow and therefore do not need protein food. The main need of insects at this stage is energy, so their diet consists mainly of carbohydrates:
- flower nectar;
- honey pad;
- vegetable juices;
- honey;
- seeds;
- plant roots;
- mushrooms;
- tree juices.
An interesting fact is that, according to scientists, more than 60% of ants feed exclusively on honeydew.
What do house ants eat
Ants in the wild build their nests in those places where there is enough food for all the members of the colony, and some of their brethren have realized that living next to a person is very profitable, even despite the danger. The garden and pharaoh ants that settled next to people became practically omnivores. In their menu you can find such products:
- berries;
- vegetables;
- fruit;
- sprouts and leaves of young seedlings;
- sweets;
- flour products;
- meat;
- cereals;
- jam;
- mold and fungus.
The activity of these insect species is often a problem for humans, as they damage crops in the garden and destroy food supplies in the kitchen, and wood-boring ants can even ruin walls, floors or furniture made of wood.
What do ants feed in captivity?
Ants have always been interesting to people, because their way of life and the distribution of responsibilities between members of the colony is simply amazing. Recently, their popularity has increased so much that people began to breed ants at home in special farms - formicaria.
In such conditions, insects are not able to get food on their own and the owner of the farm is engaged in feeding. The menu of "bonded" ants may include:
- sugar or honey syrup;
- fodder insects bought at a pet store;
- pieces of fruits and vegetables;
- pieces of boiled eggs or meat.
Cattle breeding and gardening in ants
Ants are such organized insects that they have even learned to breed aphids and grow mushrooms.
Conclusion
The diet of many ants is very similar, but at the same time can be very different. Depending on the habitat and lifestyle, among the members of this family one can easily meet both harmless vegetarians collecting honeydew and flower nectar, and ruthless predators preying on other insects.
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