Image taken by me edited with my phone's image editor
I was woken up by the sound of a pot falling in the kitchen, the first thought that came to mind was that someone was trying to steal meat from the pot ... again. I quickly grabbed the torch light hoping the catch the culprit red handed but I was caught off guard. It wasn't a person, to my ultimate surprise, it was an Army of ants on the march. They had tasted the oil on the kitchen slab and made their way to the source, the pot of soup.
While you may find my introduction familiar, I shall not be dwelling on how bad they can be, instead we will look at some of the lessons we could learn from these creatures called ANTS
Useful Tip
Have you ever been stung by an ant? Here's something that can act as remedy for the pain. Just apply baking soda to the surface of the skin where to were stung and the pain will almost immediately subside.
This is because the sting of ants contains "Methanoic acid" and adding this salt helps to neutralize the effect
Source
Ants, hate them or love them but there's no denying the lessons we could derive from them. They leave a lot to desire in how they maintain the survival of their colony. Nothing spells danger than an Army of Ants on the move.
Here are some of their spectacular traits: |
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1. Formidable force
You might see one ant as an easy prey, but when they are united, nothing can stop them. I once saw a documentary on how an army of fire ants totally stripped a snake to it's bone in matter of minutes. You can imagine how deadly they can be should they set their sights on humans.
They show that there's power in numbers, united they can overcome anything that comes their way.
2. Excellent builders
When I was younger, I would often go to ant hills to stir up trouble, break some of their hills just to see what goes on in the there, by the time I return the following day, another would have been built in it's place. Then I'll do the same again and by the time I return another would have been built.
If you consider to level of skill and time it would take to build an anthill, it is equivalent to doing the same as humans building a tower.
Taking a sample, you'll see how the paths they make are interconnected. Simply amazing, perhaps we should consider them Nature's first architects.
Did you know ants are blind?
3. Loyal
On one of my little trips down curiosity lanes, I couldn't help but notice the level of tenacity these little creatures showed towards protecting their colony and most importantly, their Queen.
They would not mind risking their lives for the greater goal.
I've seen ants make a bridge with their bodies to enable their Queen cross safely. I've also seen them form a floatable raft to enable them drift through flowing rivers in search of new homes whilst keeping their Queen safe by putting themselves in harm's way.
Should we be more like them?
4. Organized
I dare say this, the fact that they understand the hierarchy in the colony shows how intelligent they are. They understand everyone has a role to play.
The Soldiers defend their homes from invaders and also go out to hunt for food. The nurses tends to the new eggs to ensure the continuation of their colony. The Queen lays eggs for the colony, the king mates with the Queen to continue this acts. They even have scouts, I have noticed, who go out in search of food source, then reports this to the rest and the march begins. You have to agree with me that their system works.
5. Adaptability
Rainy weather or Sunny, they know how to survive. Their mentality is so strong that they know how to save and store food in the time of plenty and use them in times of little. Observe the Leaf ants at work, you'll see what I mean. They would also attack bigger animals and move their carcasses into their anthills for save keeping.
Even in times of flood, ants always survive. Most times they tend to migrate to better regions in search of a place to call home, but as soon as they do find a place, it is business as usual.
There are a lot of things we can learn from these creatures if only we pay attention. I personally find them fascinating. I'm sure most of us share that interest.
I'm inviting two of my female friends, @nessuccy5 and @adunni50 to also participate in this contest