Sunday, December 28, 2014

Insect World: David and Goliath

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Hantik
 or Green Tree Ant (Oecephalla smaragdina) is on the guard against two digger wasps. Once provoked the whole ant colony goes to war, repelling or killing the intruders, and sometimes making them food for their young. Note: Ants, wasps and bees belong to the same Family - Hymenoptera. They live in colonies, thus called social insects. Photos by Abe V Rotor, Pentax Spotmatic II 

Trivia: How do green Tree Ants build their nest? 
How about the digger wasps? The mud daubers?
What is the ecological role of ants, wasps and bees? What other insects are truly social insects outside of Hymenoptera? These are good research topics in Entomology, the science of insects. 

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