Which insect is called the worker insect

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Almost everywhere you look, you'll find one — or dozens — of the six-legged critters called insects. A wildly diverse bunch, the class Insecta includes ants, bees, flies, beetles and much more. These creatures all possess a body composed of three segments — head, thorax and abdomen — encased in a hard exoskeleton. All insects also sport a pair of antenna, compound eyes and three pairs of jointed legs. From that basic body plan, emerge all sorts of amazing behaviors and abilities, as Live Science reveals here in 20 startling facts about insects. A rhinoceros beetle shows off its antler-like horn. (Image credit: Douglas Emlen) 2. Meet the beetles. Beetles, of the insect order Coleoptera, are the most biodiverse group of creatures known, with more than 380,000 species described to date, making up 40 percent of all insect species on the books. When asked what a study of nature tells you about a creator, the British scientist J.B.S. Haldane once reportedly quipped that you can assume such a creator has "an inordinate fondness for beetles." A recent A California harvester ant worker stands guard at the nest entrance. (Image credit: Photograph © Alex Wild myrmecos.net) 3. Planet of the ants. Outside in warm temperatures? If so, when you look down you'll probably spy an ant or two or 10 scurrying along. (It's not uncommon to see ants when indoors, either.) The renowned biologists Bert Hölldobler and E. O. Wilson estimated in their Pulitzer Prize-winning 1990 book, "The Ants" (Belk...

This ant swarmer is identified by its pinched waist and bumpy stem connecting the thorax and tail (gaster). When large numbers of winged insects suddenly appear in the home, it may be the result of an insect mating swarm. When insects produce a swarm, also known as a reproductive flight, it is part of the seasonal activity of certain social insects, most importantly termites and ants. Normally insect swarms occur outdoors on a still, warm day. But if an ant or termite nest is close enough to a home, swarms may occur indoors. What are swarmers? Ants and termites are social insects with highly developed social organizations. Social insect societies are organized according to various castes, groups of physically distinct individuals with unique functions. The worker caste usually makes up the largest part of a social insect colony. Worker ants are those ants we see most often feeding at our tables and foraging outdoors for food for the colony. Worker termites are the small white insects we see when we break open a piece of decaying wood. All workers are female in the social insect world. Another important caste for social insects is the reproductive caste. The reproductive caste consists of both males and females. At certain seasons of the year ant and termite colonies produce many such reproductives. These include the “kings” and “queens” of future colonies. Unmated insects are called pre-reproductives and usually possess wings prior to leaving the colony. Pre-reproductives ...

Have you ever wondered what happens to bugs and how they prepare for winter? Many insects will not survive the winter in their adult form. Instead, insect eggs, nymphs, larvae and pupae find shelter under tree bark, in leaf litter, or inside rotting logs. Some bugs actually produce a type of antifreeze that helps them survive the cold. Some insects overwinter in a state called "diapause." They lower the amount of water in their bodies and then produce a substance to thicken what's left. Mourning cloak butterflies are an example; it's why they are often the first butterfly of spring. Bees, wasps and yellow jackets in winter Most bees, wasps, and yellow jackets don't survive winter. In fall, new queens leave the nest and find a protected spot to overwinter; old nests are abandoned. The queens emerge in spring to start a new nest and lay eggs. Honeybees, however, are different. Worker bees will surround the queen and keep her warm by fluttering wings and doing something we might call "shivering." Worker bees move around from the outside of a "huddle" to the inside so that individuals don't freeze. They use stored honey to keep their energy up. How other insects spend the winter Other bugs go deep in the soil before it freezes. Grubs will burrow below the frost line and stay there until temperatures warm in spring. Earthworms tunnel into the soil, as much as 6 feet, build burrows and curl up tightly for winter. Some insects find cracks and crevices around the home and come ins...

Article author: Mike Merchant Most recently reviewed by: Janet Hurley & Pat Porter (2018) Common Name(s): Carpenter Ants Pest LocationUrban Structural Description Fourteen species of carpenter ants occur in Texas. The largest species is the black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (Fabricius) and is found primarily in wooded areas outdoors. Common indoor species, Camponotus rasilis Wheeler and C. sayi Emery, have workers that are dull red bodied with black abdomens. Worker ants range in size from 1/4 to 1/2-inch. They can be distinguished from most other large ant species because the top of the thorax is evenly convex and bears no spines. Also the attachment between the thorax and abdomen (pedicel) has but a single flattened segment. Winged reproductive carpenter ants should not be confused with winged termites (Isoptera). Ants have elbowed antennae, distinctly veined wings of different sizes (large forewings and small hind wings) and a narrow portion of the body (waist) between the thorax and abdomen. The acrobat ants, Crematogaster sp., also occasionally nest in wood. These ants are much smaller and have a heart-shaped abdomen that is often held up over their bodies. They feed primarily on honeydew produced by aphids (Homoptera). Mouthparts are for chewing. Origin and Distribution These ants usually nest in dead wood, either outdoors in old stumps and dead parts of trees and around homes (in fences, fire wood, etc.) or indoors (between wood shingles, in siding, bea...

Termites All members of the order Isoptera are eusocial insects. Termites feed primarily on the cellulose and lignin found in plant cell walls; these compounds are the main ingredients of wood and all paper products. Termites cannot digest the cellulose directly so they rely upon symbiotic bacteria and protozoa living within their intestines to supply most of the enzymes needed for cellulose digestion. Termites are sometimes called white ants. They may resemble ants in size, but ants have a narrow waist and elbowed antennae while termites have a thick waist and antennae that resemble a string of beads. Ecologically, termites play an important role in the environment by helping to break down and recycle dead wood and other plant tissues. They become pests when their appetite for wood and wood products extends to human homes, fence posts, building materials, cardboard, and other valuable products. In tropical and subtropical forests where termites are abundant, railroads must use expensive metal ties because wooden ones are quickly destroyed. The Termite Colony. Each termite lives in a nest or colony with hundreds, thousands, or even millions of its brothers and sisters. In fact, the termite colony is really a large, extended family. Within this family, various groups of individuals have different functional roles according to a “caste system”. > Reproductive Caste Queen– Fertile adult female King– Fertile adult male Soldier Caste Non-fertile males and females with special m...