Ants (Formicidae)

As we associate ants with the tiny nuisances that with many thousands crawl all over our gardens (and sometimes even inside our houses as well), it is probably surprising to realise that ants actually belong to the group of flying insects. Several times a year though the ants actually do fly. The individuals that take off are males and young queens. After copulation which takes place high up in the air the males die and the queens get off to find a place to start a new colony. The ants you normally see, the busy-bodies hurrying from who-knows-where to who-wants-to-know-where are workers. These never get wings. All ants are 'social' insects which live in huge colonies. Their nests are usually hidden underground, but some ants built their constructions above the ground which sometimes reach impressive dimensions.