Mystery Behind An Anthill

At first glance, a fire ant hill -

or mound, as it's properly called - looks impossibly small.

And yet a colony of up to 250,000 ants call it home. But here's the secret: that mound

is just the tip of an enormous iceberg.

So let's take a closer look at what's inside an anthill.

The mound is really the top of an enormous underground structure: the nest.

Which is basically a giant nursery: a nice, cozy place to raise babies. A lot of babies.

Their mother, the queen, roams around the nest while laying 1,500 eggs a day!

Now, all those baby ants need to live in a narrow temperature range to grow.

So that nest sports temperature-controlled rooms. And it does so without the help of an AC unit.

The secret's in the design. The nest is arranged like an ice cream cone.

At the top, you have the mound - the ice cream, as it were.

Because it's above the surface,

it warms up from the heat of the sun,

so the babies can snuggle up in toasty chambers

networked throughout the mound.

But they can't stay there all day,

or they'd get too hot.

That's where the cone part of the ice cream cone comes in.

The mound is connected to several vertical shafts

that plunge up to two meters beneath the ground.

That's taller than most humans.

Throughout the day, adult ants ferry the babies

up and down the shafts, chasing that perfect temperature

for their young charges.

The nest also sports dozens of tapering tunnels

that branch off from these main shafts.

These connect to small chambers where the ants rest, eat,

and feed the babies until it's time

to move the little ones once again.

Now, there's one more type of tunnel inside the nest,

but only a few ants ever use it.

You see, someone needs to find food

for the rest of the colony,

but running around outside the nest is dangerous business.

That's where forager tunnels come in.

These are a couple of horizontal passages

buried just a few centimeters from the surface.

But they run throughout the entire territory,

which can cover up to 185 square meters of land.

By scurrying through these passageways,

the scouts can stay underground as long as possible.

But unfortunately, the nest and all its roads

can't protect the ants from every threat.

It turns out all sorts of critters

sneak inside fire ant nests.

And while many of them are actually harmless,

others are horrible houseguests.

For example, beetles burrow into the nest

and devour the eggs and larvae.

But invaders aren't the only threat to the colony.

Occasionally, clueless humans

or major floods disturb the nest.

And when that happens,

the fire ants have only one option, leave.

Once a year on average, the colony will move out

and build an entirely new nest from scratch.

And best of all, they only need a few days to do it.

That's right. Practically overnight,

meters upon meters of tunnels can pop up in your yard.

And all you'll notice is a tiny mound.

Ant hills are mounds of dirt and debris that ants create

as they build their underground nests.

They are typically found in outdoor areas with soil, such

as gardens, lawns, and parks. Ants use the hills to regulate

the temperature and humidity of their nests and

to protect the colony from predators.

While ants may sometimes be considered pests,

they play an essential role in the ecosystem.

They help to aerate the soil, which improves plant growth,

and they also act as decomposers, breaking down organic

matter and recycling nutrients.

If you are concerned about ants in your outdoor area,

here are several ways to discourage them without harming

them. Some methods include removing food and water sources,

sealing up entry points to your home, and using natural repellents

such as vinegar or cinnamon.

If you are considering using pesticides, be sure to

read the label carefully and follow all safety

instructions, as pesticides can be harmful to humans

and pets as well as ants.

It will be a bad idea to destroy an anthill as it may

harm or endanger the ants, which are living creatures and

play a crucial role in the ecosystem. Ants are an important part of

the food chain and contribute to pollination and decomposition.

Instead of destroying the anthill, consider contacting a local pest

control company or a wildlife rehabilitation center to help you safely

and humanely remove the ants if necessary.