Bullet ants 3/17/15 Term 3 Geno Lynch

How big is a bullet ant Bullet ants can grow to be about an inch long that might not seem big but in the world of ants that is pretty big usually ants are about 7 mm which is pretty small compared to bullet ants

What happens when a bullet ant stings This may seem to you as impossible but when bullet ants bit they release toxins that is the worst pain a human can feel. Keep in mind that it is not the bit that is the worst pain it is the toxins. The pain caused by this insect’s sting is purported to be greater than that of any other hymenopterans, and is ranked as the most painful according to the Schmidt sting pain index, given a “4+” rating, above the tarantula hawk wasp and, according to some victims, equal to being shot, hence the name of the insect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it0V7xv9qu0

What does daily life consist of At maturity, lone queens set out to establish new nests. Most queens usually seek to locate their nests at the bottom of tall trees or vines so workers will be able to reach the canopy conveniently. Sometimes, they construct nests directly in tree hollows. The nests, which sometimes extend more than 2 feet below the surface, have numerous flat-floored chambers with slightly domed ceilings. One nest investigated in 1983 had 43 separate chambers.

Social Bullet ants Bullet ants are primitively asocial; an internal hierarchy exists, but workers are only slightly smaller than the queens. The worker caste exhibits division of labor -- smaller individuals stay inside the nest and tend to the queen and her eggs, while larger individuals forage and defend the nest. Only mature colonies produce winged males and virgin female queens. If their nest is attacked by a predator, the workers will rush to the entrance to defend the colony. Sometimes, bullet ants in mass produce a loud buzzing sound when trying to deter a predator.

The life cycle of a bullet ant Queens produce all of the colony’s eggs. Because of the danger involved in working with the animals, little is known about their reproductive habits in the wild. Bullet ants go through complete metamorphosis -- eggs hatch into larvae, which eventually pupate before turning into adults. In captivity, bullet ants will nest in crevices. Though the eggs, larvae and pupae develop normally when kept at uniform temperatures, scientists have observed ants moving large larvae and pupae to the warmest parts of the nest, which speeds their development slightly.

How they attack Bullet ants are not like other ants where as the other army ants might go out in swarms the bullet ant will see a creature that could be a threat and the fall out of a tree and bit with their fangs and then as soon as they clamp on with their jaws the sting with the stingers on the end of their but.

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