How Do Ants Turn Into Maggots?
Despite their name, ants don’t actually turn into maggots. Ants are social insects that live in colonies. They are also known to be beneficial creatures. They do not have emotions. However, their behavior can be affected by their environment.
There are three different castes in ant colonies. Each caste has a specific task. The worker ants tend to the queen, feed brood, and dispose of waste. They are also responsible for policing the colony.
Ants go through four stages of development: larva, pupa, adult, and finally, ant. They are classified in the order Hymenoptera, which is a group of insects. Each ant has three body parts, a head, a thorax, and a waist. There are 10,000 ant species.
Ant larvae are legless grub-like larvae that hatch from eggs. They feed on regurgitated food provided by the adult worker ants. These larvae molt several times in the process. With each molt, their body grows hooked hairs.
Ant pupae are white, whitish, or gray, and have folded antennae and legs. They sleep in paper cocoons. Some species of pupae stay uncovered and develop in the open.
After a few weeks, adult worker ants emerge from pupae. They are usually twice as large as worker ants. The pupae have a body shape like a banana. Some species of ants are known to spin cocoons for protection.
In some species of ants, workers carry eggs or brood around the nest. They are also responsible for policing conflicts within the colony.