Invertebrates 4. Beetles and Ants

Imagine a family with 300,000 relatives! That is how many different kinds of beetles there are

The beetle family is bigger than any other animal family Beetles are insects

Most beetles fly and have 2 pairs of wings One pair is thin and light and used for flying

The outer wings of most beetles are brightly colored The second pair is made of a hard material and protects the thin flying wings The outer wings of most beetles are brightly colored

Beetles can live almost anywhere Emerald Water Beetle Some live in water, some on the ground, and some make their homes in the soil

You may know about some beetles like fireflies You can see them on a summer night giving off a soft, green light

Ladybugs are beetles and are helpful to humans They eat other insects that harm plants

Some beetles are pests (like teenagers) They harm plants used for food

With their strong jaws, they can bite through plants Japanese beetles destroy trees and crops

Other beetles feed on grain Some beetles live in houses and feed on cloth, rugs, and food

Ants are insects that live in colonies They make nests underground or in dead wood

One nest may hold a few ants or a million A female ant, young ants, and workers live in each nest and each have a job to do

Ants that can mate have wings The male and female fly into the air to mate, then the male dies!

The female loses her wings and lays eggs The female is called a queen

Females that cannot mate are workers that bring food into the nest They clean the nest and take care of the young

Some workers are soldiers and keep enemies out of the nest

Ants remember how things smell and feel This helps them tell an enemy from a friend

It also helps them find the path to their nest Ants know what is around them by touching things with two antennae (feelers) on their heads

One large eye made of hundreds of tiny eyes Ants also have hundreds of tiny eyes that make up one large compound eye Vocabulary: Compound eye One large eye made of hundreds of tiny eyes

Compound eyes help ants see what is moving around them

Army ants live in South America and the southern United States They travel from place to place to find food

Army ants eat insects and spiders But they can also kill and eat lizards or snakes!

Army ants do not build nests When they stop to rest, millions of ants cling together in a huge ball

Each ant holds on to the legs of another ant. Inside the ball are the queen and her young