Bay Area Ants

     Ants continue to be some of the most successful creatures the world has ever seen due to their ability to adapt and thrive in a variety of conditions, from parched deserts, to lush, moist rainforests. Today, we'll be taking a look at one way ants utilize their environment to their advantage.      Yesterday morning, I saw my ants exhibiting an interesting behavior. One of my colonies, of the genus Formica (Yep, a colony of ants with a queen!), had moved some of their pupae to the top of their dirt setup. Here's a link to the setup they are in. I heat them up with a heating lamp, heating up one side of the formicarium. It looked like to me, that the ants liked the heat, so they moved their young up to the surface, where the heating lamp's heat was stronger! If you are wondering what this would look like, here are some pictures: Photo credits: Taken by me See those little ovals, with black dots on one side? Those are pupae!      Why do this, some may ask?