Where do ants rush off to in such a hurry?

Have you ever crouched down and watched ants on a sidewalk? They zip along in a long, wiggly line. Some march one way, and some march back. Each one seems in such a hurry!

They scurry past each other and keep going, fast and busy. So where do ants rush off to in such a hurry?

Ants live together in a nest, deep under the ground. Lots and lots of ants share that one home, with their baby ants. Every ant in the nest needs food, and the babies are hungry too.

So one ant leaves the nest first to look for food. That ant is a scout, which means an ant that searches ahead for the others. The scout wanders this way and that, sniffing with its feelers.

Then the scout finds something yummy, like a cookie crumb on the ground. That crumb is a feast for ants! Now the scout turns around and heads back home to get help from the others.

On the way home, the scout leaves a trail, which means a path of smell on the ground. People can't smell it, but ants can, with their feelers. What do you think the other ants will do when they smell that trail?

The other ants follow the trail, out of the nest and right to the crumb! They hurry along it, one after another. That's the busy line you see on the sidewalk.

At the crumb, each ant picks up a little piece in its mouth. Then it carries the piece back along the trail to the nest. That's why some ants march out and some march back.

Inside the nest, the ants share the food with everyone. The babies eat, and the whole nest stays strong. Then out the ants go again, to find more.

Scout. Trail. A hungry nest sends ants hurrying along a trail to bring food home.

Next time you spot a line of busy ants, you'll know they are hurrying to fetch food for their nest. Sleep tight, little one.