O. Orkin Insect Zoo: Hills, Hives, and Nests--The Insect Societies

Hills, Hives, and Nests:
The Insect Societies

Although insects are among the most streamlined and well-engineered animals, their small size has led some species--termites, ants, and many wasps and bees--to band together in highly organized groups to share housing, care of young, work, food, and protection. The zoo displays honey bees, desert-dwelling honeypot ants, Costa Rican acacia ants, and termites.

Master Architects: African Mound Termites

Built of sand, soil, and termite saliva, the nest of the African mound termite (Macrotermes natalensis) is an engineering marvel. Its walls rise slowly for many years to over 5.5 m (18 ft.)--a fitting castle for the termite queen and king and their two million subjects!

Thick walls help to keep temperature and humidity constant, and an elaborate system of tunnels carries air warmed by millions of termite bodies to the mound's upper air space. A giant African termite mound in the middle of the room is tunneled through to expose the galleries hidden inside. Amplified crunching noises make small explorers stop and listen. What looked like a giant sand castle reveals itself to be a sophisticated city of coordinated workers, soldiers, and reproductives, working as a complex unit to maintain their colony's health.

Ants

Acacia Ants: In exchange for food and shelter from the bull's horn acacia in which they live, acacia ants, (Pseudomyrmex sp.) fiercely attack leaf-eating insects and keep the base of their tree clear of competing vegetation.

This is a cut-away view of the mound of a harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex sp. Harvester ants gather seeds and store them in special chambers for their food. Larvae and pupae are held in other chambers.

Bees

Honey bees: Ever wonder how a honey bee (Apis mellifera) hive "works"? Inside the hive functions a highly organized society with intricate divisions of labor. Most of the work is done by workers, or sterile female bees. The workers build the honeycomb of wax they generate from glands under their abdomens. They also raise the young, forage for pollen to feed the larvae and nectar to make honey, and protect the nest from predators. Work is age-related: the worker starts out as a cleaner and then passes through the roles of nurse, builder, guard, and, finally, forager.