Bees, Wasps, Ants, and Termites
Bees, Wasps, Ants, and Termites
Some insects live and work together to raise the colony’s young. These animals are called social insects. Among the social insects are honeybees, wasps, ants, and termites.
Honeybees live in a colony made up of one queen and thousands of workers. The workers all have stings and use them to defend the colony. A honeybee’s sting pulls out of its body and remains in the victim’s skin, so the bee dies after it stings. A gland near the sting releases pheromones, which bring other bees to help in the defense.
Some species of wasps also form colonies. Yellow jackets raise their young inside large, papery nests. They will swarm out of a nest to attack an intruder. Paper wasps also build nests. A paperwasp queen attacks intruders with even more energy than her workers. Like bees, social wasps send out chemical alarms when they sting. Some wasp species, however, defend only themselves and not the nest.
All ants live in colonies and defend them. An animal that noses around a fire-ant colony’s nest will quickly find itself facing a swarm of ants pouring out, ready to bite.
Some species of ants have special “soldier” ants that work as security guards for the nest. A soldier may be larger than the average worker ant. It also has bigger jaws. in some species, the soldiers have extra-sharp jaws. in others, the soldiers have heads shaped like shields. They use their heads to plug the nest’s entrance holes to keep out invaders. Leafcutter ants are guarded by larger soldiers when they leave the nest to gather leaves. They also are guarded by tiny worker ants that perch on their backs. The worker ants watch out for wasps that try to lay eggs on the workers.
Like ants, termites live in colonies. Workers and soldiers take care of a queen as well as a king termite. Termite soldiers defend the colony. They typically have thick, strong heads and large jaws for biting.
Soldiers of some termite species spew a sticky spray from their nozzle-shaped heads. The spray irritates ants that get hit. The soldiers march alongside the worker termites to guard them when they go outside to gather food. Some termite species lack soldiers, but the workers have a strange ability: They explode, covering their enemies with their sticky insides.
Some insects live and work together to raise the colony’s young. These animals are called social insects. Among the social insects are honeybees, wasps, ants, and termites.
Honeybees live in a colony made up of one queen and thousands of workers. The workers all have stings and use them to defend the colony. A honeybee’s sting pulls out of its body and remains in the victim’s skin, so the bee dies after it stings. A gland near the sting releases pheromones, which bring other bees to help in the defense.
Some species of wasps also form colonies. Yellow jackets raise their young inside large, papery nests. They will swarm out of a nest to attack an intruder. Paper wasps also build nests. A paperwasp queen attacks intruders with even more energy than her workers. Like bees, social wasps send out chemical alarms when they sting. Some wasp species, however, defend only themselves and not the nest.
All ants live in colonies and defend them. An animal that noses around a fire-ant colony’s nest will quickly find itself facing a swarm of ants pouring out, ready to bite.
Some species of ants have special “soldier” ants that work as security guards for the nest. A soldier may be larger than the average worker ant. It also has bigger jaws. in some species, the soldiers have extra-sharp jaws. in others, the soldiers have heads shaped like shields. They use their heads to plug the nest’s entrance holes to keep out invaders. Leafcutter ants are guarded by larger soldiers when they leave the nest to gather leaves. They also are guarded by tiny worker ants that perch on their backs. The worker ants watch out for wasps that try to lay eggs on the workers.
Like ants, termites live in colonies. Workers and soldiers take care of a queen as well as a king termite. Termite soldiers defend the colony. They typically have thick, strong heads and large jaws for biting.
Soldiers of some termite species spew a sticky spray from their nozzle-shaped heads. The spray irritates ants that get hit. The soldiers march alongside the worker termites to guard them when they go outside to gather food. Some termite species lack soldiers, but the workers have a strange ability: They explode, covering their enemies with their sticky insides.
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