Why Do Ants Need Light?
WouterGenerally, ants are cold-blooded animals, and have no natural affinity to light. However, they do have special photoreceptors that allow them to discriminate between different hues. They use light to help track their position and guide nuptial flights. They also use light to indicate the end of their hibernation period.
Ants can see in the dark, but their vision is poor. They have small compound eyes that are made up of several units. Each unit has a dome-like shape. The ommatidia can see a single point in space, but they can also provide sharp vision.
During mating season, flying ants will swarm around light sources, seeking potential mates. They primarily seek to reproduce, but they also use light to navigate.
Nocturnal ants have better night vision than diurnal ants, which means they can see better in dark places. They also have different eye structures. They have a greater number of ommatidia units.
Some ants have ommatidia in their eyes, which are simple eyes with a small dome-like structure. These ommatidia provide ants with excellent vision in low light conditions.
The carpenter ant has excellent night vision, but it does not need light to find food. They do, however, have a very strong sense of smell. They will eat meat, grease, and dead insects, among other things.
Other ants, such as the army ant, are completely blind. They rely on smell to navigate and hunt prey. They are also highly vulnerable to predators in bright environments.
