Which ants do which jobs in the nest?

Have you ever crouched down and watched a line of ants marching across the path? Each tiny ant seems to know exactly where it is going. Under the ground, their nest is full of busy rooms and tunnels. So which ants do which jobs in the nest?

Let's peek inside a garden ant nest. Deep in one quiet room rests the queen, the biggest ant of all. She has one job, and that job is laying eggs. Her eggs keep bringing new ants into the nest.

Every other ant in the nest is a worker, and all the workers are the queen's daughters. The workers do all the other jobs, so the queen can keep laying eggs. Which job a worker does depends on how old she is.

The queen's eggs hatch into larvae, which means baby ants that look like tiny white worms. Larvae have no legs, so they cannot walk or find their own food. They need someone to care for them all day long.

The youngest workers stay deep inside and look after the larvae. They feed them, lick them clean and carry them to warm, dry rooms. Down there, these young nurses stay safe and close to home.

As a worker grows a little older, she moves to the rooms nearer the top. Now she digs new tunnels, carries out rubbish and fixes crumbly walls. She keeps the nest clean and roomy while more larvae grow up. So what job do you think is left for the oldest ants?

The oldest workers become foragers, which means ants that go outside to find food. Foragers carry home seeds, crumbs and sweet drops for the whole nest. That line of ants on the path was a line of foragers!

The oldest workers take the outside job for a good reason. Out there, foragers meet rain, hungry birds and big shoes. An old forager has already lived most of her busy days. A young worker still has many days of work ahead, so she stays safely inside until her turn comes.

Larvae and foragers. In the nest, the queen lays the eggs, and each worker changes her job as she grows older, from caring for larvae, to digging and cleaning, to going out as a forager.

Next time you spot a line of ants, you will know you are watching the oldest helpers of the nest, so snuggle in and dream of cozy, busy tunnels.