Spring is back and so are ants. As much as we grown-ups dislike ants, especially in our kitchens, most children enjoy observing their busy ways. When they discover a colony of ants, it often develops into their first research project. Kids can hover over ants for hours.

Why are the black dots marching along the driveway? Where are they going? Let’s see what happens when we put a stick into their path. Look, they’re carrying a dead bug. It’s so much bigger than the ants!

Did you know:

– Ants are quite social and like to live in big colonies.

– A colony might have between 1,000 and 300,000 ants, depending on the ant species.

– The queen ant can live many years and have millions of ant babies.

– An ant can lift 20 x it’s own body weight.

– Ants work together to move bigger items.

– Ants are the longest living insects. Some ant species live up to 30 years.

– Ants release chemicals (pheromones) to communicate with other ants.