Many people have seen ants moving their eggs from one place to another. Ants reproduction system is complicated as the hatched spawns undergo different changes to develop into adults.
Why Do Ants Bring Their Eggs to the Surface? Ants bring their eggs to the surface to get food, move to a warm and dry place, protect against danger and rainy water, and when relocating the nest to another site.
They build a special chamber for the queen to lay spawns or ova. Only a queen ant can lay eggs in the nest.
The chamber is present in the safe corner of the nest to protect them from predators and other harm. The queen lays fertilized spawns that are oval.
Usually, queen ants live with them in the chamber until they are developed into larvae. The eggs, after some time, turn into larvae and then an adult. The whole process takes 7 1o 14 days.
To get plenty of food
Ants’ eggs are microscopic, and seeing them with the naked eye is difficult. They develop into larvae after a few days of hatching.
The ovum and larvae need plenty of food for development. The queen ant is responsible for feeding the larvae.
It feeds the larvae with its saliva. They need food to provide nourishment to the eggs and larvae. So they keep searching for food in the surroundings to feed their offspring.
The sticky nature of eggs helps them to stick to each other and the bodies of their adult mates. The eggs placed underground come to the surface by sticking to the body of the adult fellows.
The worker ants come to the surface in the daylight to gather all the necessary food for the colony mates. The eggs come along with the adult mates on the higher ground.
Sometimes you see white objects stick to the body of these crawling animals. These white objects are not eggs but the larvae of the queen ants.
The larvae have a white color appearance. The mother ants bring the larvae to the surface to feed them food.
Moving to a dry and warm place
They need an optimal temperature and humidity to develop and grow. Queen also needs optimal temperature and moisture to hatch the eggs.
Therefore, they build the nest in such a way as to preserve the temperature and humidity level in the colony.
The eggs of the queen ants also need a warm and dry place to develop into larvae. Therefore, the adult mates keep them in a special chamber underground to keep them warm and dry.
Due to a drastic change n the climate, it is difficult for them to maintain the temperature and dryness of the chambers.
The worker ants take the eggs to the surface to get warmth and dryness. The upper surface of the ground is exposed to the sun’s rays.
They can get enough sunlight to keep themselves warm and dry.
They take them back to the nest chambers in the evening to prevent them from the cold. They dig deep tunnels underground to keep them warm.
Their metabolism also helps in raising the temperature of the nest. But prolonged exposure to the heat can also kill the eggs and larvae.
Protecting the eggs from the danger
They live in groups in small nests. They can become food for many other animals like lizards and rats. They are always in danger, and enemies can attack them anytime.
The queen ant lays eggs in the chamber, and worker ants are responsible for taking care of the newly hatched eggs. The enemies in the surrounding can attack their nest to destroy them.
The adult fellows protect the eggs from all the danger and enemies. They keep them away from the sight of enemies and other animals.
They keep changing their location to protect the nest fellows and larvae. They can also dig tunnels on the surface soil to hide the eggs and larvae.
Relocating the nest
They keep moving their nest from one place to another place. An outside disturbance can also destroy their nest.
In such cases, they have to rebuild their house in a new place. They change their location to move to a more favorable habitat and surroundings.
They build a nest where plenty of food is available for all of them. Relocating the nest can also help them protect themselves from danger and enemies.
The worker ants find a suitable place to relocate the nest and move all their belongings. They send messages to the nest fellows to inform them about the new location.
The eggs of the queen ants are not capable of migrating themselves. The adult fellows stick the eggs to their bodies and move them to another place.
They travel a long distance to reach their new location. In doing so, they can also use different routes to reach their targeted site.
Protecting the eggs and larvae from the rainy water
They usually live underground by digging deep in the soil. The eggs are also placed in the corner of the nest.
Their nest can withstand light rain due to the channeling of water from the tunnels. But in heavy rain, the tunnel’s soil cannot absorb and channel the water.
The water from the ground also starts seeping into the deep tunnels of the ants. As a result, they can be flooded with rainwater. Flooding in rainy water can kill them.
Therefore, the adult fellows move to the ground with their eggs during the rainy season to protect them from the rainwater. They hide in the nooks and corners of walls to protect themselves and their eggs from the rain.
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