Honeypot Ants
Honeypot ants live in deserts and other arid regions. Workers feed a sweet liquid, made from foraged nectar and dead insects, to special workers called repletes. Repletes are the true honeypot ants, functioning as living, breathing honeypots. They hang from the nest ceiling, and expand their abdomens into a berry-shaped pouch that can hold 8 times their body weight in "honey." When times get tough, the colony can live off this stored food source. In regions where honeypot ants live, people sometimes eat them.
Army Ants
Army ants are nomads. They don't make permanent nests, but instead bivouac in empty rodent nests or natural cavities. Army ants are typically nocturnal, with nearly blind workers. These carnivores conduct nighttime raids of other ant nests, stinging their prey and ferociously pulling off their legs and antennae. Army ants stay put occasionally, when the queen begins laying new eggs and larvae start pupating. As soon as the eggs hatch and the new workers emerge, the colony moves on. When on the move, workers carry the colony's young. Contrary to popular belief, most army ants are relatively harmless to mammals, though they do bite. In South America, army ants are called legionary ants, while in Africa they go by the name driver ants.
Bullet Ants
Photo: Getty Images/Peter Arnold
Bullet ants get their name from the unbearable pain they inflict with their venomous sting, which is ranked as the most excruciating of all insect stings on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. These enormous ants, which measure a full inch long, inhabit lowland rainforests in Central and South America. Bullet ants live in small colonies of just a few hundred individuals at the base of trees. They forage in the tree canopy for insects and nectar. The Satere-Mawe people of the Amazon basin use bullet ants in a ritual to signify manhood. Several hundred bullet ants are woven into a glove, stings facing in, and young men must wear the glove for a full 10 minutes. They repeat this ritual up to 20 times before they are called warriors.
Acacia Ants
Acacia ants are so named for their symbiotic relationship with acacia trees. They live within hollow thorns of the tree, and feed at special nectaries at the base its leaves. In exchange for this food and shelter, the acacia ants will vigorously defend their host tree from herbivores. Acacia ants also tend to the tree, pruning off any parasitic plants that try to use it as a host.
Pharaoh Ants
Tiny Pharaoh ants are pervasive, hard to control pests that invade houses, grocery stores, and hospitals. Pharaoh ants are native to Africa, but now inhabit dwellings worldwide. They're a serious concern when they infest hospitals, as these pests carry a dozen infectious pathogens. Pharaoh ants feed on everything from soda to shoe polish, so just about anything can attract them. The name Pharaoh ant was given to this species because they were once believed to be one of the plagues of ancient Egypt. They're also known as sugar ants or piss ants.
Trap Jaw Ants
Trap jaw ants hunt with their mandibles locked at 180 degrees. Trigger hairs on the mandibles point forward, toward potential prey. When a trap jaw ant feels another insect brush against these sensitive hairs, it slams its jaws shut with lightning quickness. Scientists have clocked the speed of their jaws at 145 miles per hour! When in danger, a trap jaw ant can point its head down, slam its jaws shut, and propel itself out of harm's way.
Acrobat Ants
Photo: Tom Allen (CC-by-SA license)
Acrobat ants raise their heart-shaped abdomens when threatened, much like tiny circus animals. They won't back down from a fight, though, and will charge toward the threat and bite. Acrobat ants feed on sweet substances, including the honeydew secreted by aphids. They'll construct tiny barns using plant bits over their aphid "cattle." Acrobat ants sometimes nest indoors, especially in areas with constant moisture.
Weaver Ants
Photo: Robin klein (CC-by-SA license)
Weaver ants construct sophisticated nests in the treetops by sewing leaves together. Workers begin by using their jaws to pull the edges of a pliable leaf together. Other workers then carry larvae to the construction site, and give them a tender squeeze with their mandibles. This makes the larvae exude a silken thread, which the workers can use to affix the leaves together. Over time, the nest might join several trees together. Like acacia ants, weaver ants protect their host trees.
