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The Ants go Marchin' by Petra

The Ants go Marchin'

Petra

Here are two ant siblings, Marco and Alkaia. They are black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) of the soldier caste, even though Alkaia is supposed to be of the reproductive caste, she convinced the queen, her mother, to let her be a soldier, since the colony drastically needed more soldiers to fend against rival ant colonies and possibly even termites. She uses her wings in battle or alerts the workers when danger is coming.

Both Marco and Alkaia care about their colony, like all the other ants, but these two will go further and make sure the workers are safe while they are collecting food.

What is unusual about their colony, is that they are actually allies with a bumblebee hive and some of the bumblebees help with protecting the worker ants by notifying of danger approaching. They won't fight though, since if they use their stingers, they'll die.

The friendship between the bumblebees and ants go like this:

-Bumblebees provide honey (not all of it of course) for the ants during hard times, and even when they aren't in trouble. And help protect the worker ants by flying over head.

-Ants provide an army against wasps and other threat against the bumblebees. And if the ants find flowers that look like they need pollinating, they'll inform the bumblebees.

Later you'll see why they have that alliance.

Alkaia, Marco, and art © me

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