What Is A Group Of Ants Called? Check Out The Correct Term And Its Fascinating Origin | Fun Fact

Group of Ants:  A group of ants is popularly known as ‘Army’ or 'Colony'. An ant colony signifies numerous individual ants, and among them, some are egg-laying queens. The colony of ants also comprises sterile female workers and soldiers. There are also winged sexual males and females, but only during specific seasons. Ants usually stay in a group in underground tunnels with chambers for the queen and other members. This colony of ants lives as a highly organised social unit, with ants cooperating efficiently, taking on various roles such as foraging, defence, and offspring care.

Outside the nest, a group of ants is denoted as 'army' or a 'swarm'. The term 'army' usually refers to ants that you usually see carrying the food forward, as they move in a straight line. These are the worker ants that are moving on the ground. On the other hand, a group of ants is called a ‘swarm' when it refers to groups of winged ants, especially when the winged males and females come together during the mating season to start new colonies.

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Have you ever wondered what is the size of an ant colony? To your surprise, the size of the group of ants can range from a few hundred ants to even supercolonies, which consist of millions of ants, mostly workers and also a few queens.

Some species of ants tend to build huge supercolonies, which cover wide areas. These supercolonies are made of many interconnected nests, highlighting one of the biggest and most populated animal societies on Earth.

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In short, the most accurate and universally accepted name for a group of ants is 'colony'; on the other hand, 'army' and 'swarm' are used to describe groups of ants outside the colony during a specific activity or phase of their life cycle. For example, an army of ants is carrying food forward.