There are countless species of ants worldwide. The green ants have a special position. Here you can find out what makes this variety special and why they are called that.
What are green ants?
Green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are weaver ants, a subspecies of scale ants. Green ants are found in Australia,Southeast Asia, India and tropical regions of Africa. The animals are known for their painful bites, but are not really dangerous.
Are there green ants?
TheWeaver Antsare also known as Green Ants (Oecophylla). In this case it is a subfamily of the scaled ant. The queen weaver ant is green in color. The name weaver ant is derived from the conspicuous nest construction of these ants. The green ants weave nests that are sewn together using threads from the larvae of this ant. This type of nest building and weaving of leaves is typical of green ants.
Are green ants always green?
Only theQueen of the green ants is strikingly green. The workers are reddish-brown in color and only sometimes have a slightly green tinge. So you shouldn't expect that every single animal will immediately identify itself as a green ant.
Where are green ants found?
Weaver ants are common in tropical Africa, India,Southeast Asiaand inAustralia. As a result, you will not find this species of ant living freely in Europe. However, you can see the impressive nest building of the green ants in some museums or zoos.
Are green ants dangerous?
Green ants are known for theirpainful bites. The animals bite harder than other types of ants. They then inject formic acid directly into the open wound. This can lead to significant pain. However, the bites of green ants are not really dangerous for most people. Serious problems can only occur for people with an allergy to formic acid.
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Cultural Significance of Green Ants
Green ants occupy a place of their own in the myths of Australia's aborigines. Werner Herzoge's film “Where the Green Ants Dream” is based, among other things, on these Aboriginal stories.