How do ants work together? Let's find out. Ants live together in big groups called colonies. The queen is the ant that lays the eggs in a colony. Some colonies have one queen and others have several. Ants make their nests underground or in trees.

An ant has six legs. Its body has three main parts. It has a narrow waist between its middle and its back. An ant wears its skeleton on the outside. This hard, waterproof shell is called an exoskeleton.

Ants do not see very well. They find their way mostly by smell and touch. Ants use two antennae to smell and to touch things. They also use scent chemicals called pheromones to warn each other of danger or lead each other to food.

Almost all the ants you see in a colony are female workers. They cannot lay eggs. Workers find food, take care of the young, and build and defend the nest. Ants have strong jaws called mandibles. They use them to carry things and to cut. Ants can lift at least 10 times their own weight.

Some ants can sting, and all ants can bite. A fire ant sting can cause burning, itching and swelling. To stay safe from fire ants, stay away from their nests and from floating rafts of ants. Tell a grown-up if an ant stings you.

A queen ant lays thousands of eggs. An ant grows from an egg to a larva to a pupa and then to an adult. A baby ant, called a larva, has no legs and looks like a soft white worm.

Words to know

• colonies: big ant groups
• exoskeleton: outside skeleton
• pheromones: scent chemicals
• mandibles: strong jaws
• larva: baby ant