- She is obviously larger than the other ants.
- Her thorax (the middle part of her body) is bigger compared to the rest of her body than the other ants' thoraxes. (Queen ants have a bigger thorax because that is where the wings were attached.)
- When we put the ants into the ant factory the rest of the ants got right to work, but the big ant sat in the corner and was guarded by one smaller ant.
- Princess: "If you put ants in the fridge they calm down." When they get cold they are less active so the Activity Guide recommends putting your ants in the fridge for five to ten minutes so they are easier to dump in the Ant Factory.
- Little Man: "I learned that the queen's middle is bigger." The "middle" of the ant is called the thorax. I have to point out that the rear end of the ant is not called a "bum", which my kids at first insisted. It is actually the ant's abdomen, complete with two stomachs! One stomach is for digesting the food the ant eats. The other stomach is a "public stomach" where the ant can bring the food back up to share with other ants. "Just like birds feeding their babies!" Munchkin pointed out :)
- Munchkin: "Queen ants are bigger than other ants."
- We also learned that a scientist who studies insects is called an entomologist.
- Ants have special glands that make chemicals called pheromones, which can change the way other ants act.
- If ant pupae are placed on an island, surrounded by water, the ants will throw dirt in the water to make a bridge so they can walk across the water and rescue the pupae!
Have you studied any insects yet this spring? We would love to hear what you have been doing! Please tell us about it in the comments. Feel free to leave a link to your insect posts if you have blogged about it :)
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