How Far Do Ants Travel?
WouterDepending on the species, ants can travel long distances to find food and water. Some ants can travel hundreds of miles in a single day. Others can cover a few hundred feet in a single trip. Some ants may have venomous bites.
A single worker ant can walk a mile, but that’s not necessarily the longest trip. Several workers may be swarming around, collecting food and water for the rest of the colony.
Ants can also travel by land, sea or air. They can also travel the same distance in a single day if the colony is moving. A colony can move by releasing pheromones, a chemical signal to entice other ants.
The ants that travel the farthest have to be the ones that are doing the most interesting things. For instance, the Saharan Silver Ant, can travel 16600 inches in 7 minutes. This is more than enough to get to the next destination, if the ant isn’t hungry.
While the ant stooping down to lay the eggs may be a sight to behold, there are plenty of other species that spend their entire lives in one place. The European ant colony was said to span 3,600 miles from the Italian Riviera to Spain.
While ants can’t be documented for sure, one American study estimated the length of ant travel. The distance is dependent on whether or not ants are patrolling the area and whether or not there are other ants in the area.
