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“me and my ‘ant bee’
(‘age 3’)
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(‘ants’ are ‘eusocial insects’ of the family formicidae and, along with the related ‘wasps’ and ‘bees’, belong to the order “hymenoptera”)
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“eusocial”
(greek for “good social behavior”)
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(‘ants’ evolved from ‘wasp-like ancestors’ in the ‘cretaceous period’, about ’99 million years’ ago and ‘diversified’ after the rise of ‘flowering plants’)
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(more than ‘12,500’ of an estimated total of ‘22,000 species’ have been classified)
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(they are easily identified by their ‘elbowed antennae’ and the distinctive ‘node-like structure’ that forms their ‘slender waists’)
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(‘ants’ form ‘colonies’ that range in size from a ‘few dozen predatory individuals’ living in ‘small natural cavities’ to ‘highly organized colonies’ that may occupy ‘large territories’ and consist of ‘millions of individuals’)
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(arger ‘colonies’ consist mostly of ‘sterile’ + ‘wingless’ females forming castes of “workers”, “soldiers”, or other ‘specialized groups’)
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(nearly all ‘ant colonies’ also have some ‘fertile males’ called “drones” and 1 or more ‘fertile females’ called “queens”)
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(the ‘colonies’ are described as ‘super-organisms’ because the ‘ants’ appear to operate as a ‘unified entity’, collectively working together to support the ‘colony’)
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(‘ants’ have ‘colonized’ almost every ‘landmass’ on ‘earth’)
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(the only places lacking ‘indigenous ants’ are ‘antarctica’ and a few ‘remote’ or ‘inhospitable’ islands)
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(‘ants’ thrive in most ‘ecosystems’ and may form 15 – 25% of the ‘terrestrial animal biomass’)
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(their ‘success’ in so many ‘environments’ has been attributed to their ‘social organization’ and their ability to modify ‘habitats’, tap ‘resources’, and ‘defend themselves’)
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(their long ‘co-evolution’ with other ‘species’ has led to ‘mimetic’, ‘commensal’, ‘parasitic’, and ‘mutualistic’ relationships)
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(‘ant societies’ have ‘division of labor’, ”communication’ between ‘individuals”, and ‘an ability to solve ‘complex problems”)
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(these ‘parallels’ with ‘human societies’ have long been an ‘inspiration’ and ‘subject of study’)
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(many ‘human cultures’ make use of ‘ants’ in ‘cuisine’, ‘medication’, and ‘rituals’)
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(some ‘species’ are valued in their role as ‘biological pest control agents’)
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(their ability to exploit ‘resources’ may bring ‘ants’ into conflict with ‘humans’, however, as they can ‘damage crops’ and ‘invade buildings’)
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(some ‘species’, such as the ‘red imported fire ant’ (solenopsis iinvicta), are regarded as ‘invasive species’, establishing themselves in ‘areas’ where they have been introduced accidentally)
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💕💝💖💓🖤💙🖤💙🖤💙🖤❤️💚💛🧡❣️💞💔💘❣️🧡💛💚❤️🖤💜🖤💙🖤💙🖤💗💖💝💘
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*🌈✨ *TABLE OF CONTENTS* ✨🌷*
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🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥*we won the war* 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥