The ants have invaded! They're everywhere!... Just a few weeks ago they
were released in movie theaters nationwide; by all accounts, those "Antz"
are a big hit. An in a few more weeks there will be another assault as
"A Bug's Life" hits our nation's movie screens.
Why not take advantage of the built-in excitement of those popular movies?
Open your classroom doors to a learning invasion! You'll find ants all
over the Internet... and Education World has made teaching about ants as
easy as attracting them is! We've created a scavenger hunt with questions
about ants for students of all ages. Just sort through the "graded" questions
below to create your own custom-made scavenger hunt!
* one-star questions for students in grades 2-4
** two-star questions for students in grade 4-6
*** three-star questions for students in grades 6 and up
| * | 1. Learn about the different parts of an insect's body by clicking on the drawing. Name three parts of an insect's body.
Source: Entomology for Beginners |
| * | 2. What kind of ant is pictured on Morten's WWW page?
Source: Morten's WWW Page
|
| */** | 3. About how many different kinds (or species) of ants can be found in the world? Choose the correct answer: 80 (eighty) 800 (eight hundred) 8,000
(eight thousand)
Source: Gordon's Ant Page
|
| */** | 4. What are the three main jobs of worker ants?
Source: Life
and Habits of Ants
|
| */** | 5. Tell about two of the ways in which an ant uses its jaw, or mandible.
Source: Ant
Jaws: Mighty, Multipurpose Mandibles
|
| */** | 6. How many fire ants might live in one colony? Choose the correct answer: 200 (two hundred) 2,000 (two thousand) 200,000 (two hundred thousand)
Source: Fire Ants Description and Biology
|
| */** | 7. How are ants' jaws different from people's jaws? (Hint: The answer is in how they move!)
Source: Ant
Jaws: Mighty, Multipurpose Mandibles
|
| */** | 8. How tall might the nest of an imported fire ant be?
Source: Fire Ants Description
and Biology
|
| */** | 9. How many ants can an anteater eat in a day? Choose the correct answer: 3,000 (three thousand) 30,000 (thirty thousand) 300,000 (three
hundred thousand)
Source: Anteater:
Digging Up Ants and Termites
|
| */** | 10. Why are leaf-cutter ants also known as parasol ants?
Source: Leaf-Cutter
Ants: They're Real Cut-Ups
|
| */** | 11. What do army ants eat?
Source: Army
Ants: An Army on the Move
|
| */**/*** | 12. Draw a picture of a carpenter ant.
Source: Florida
Agricultural Information
|
| ** | 13. Do army ants find food by smell or by sight?
Source: Army
Ants: An Army on the Move
|
| ** | 14. One of the most common species of ants is called the "odorous house ant." How does that ant get its name?
Source: Odorous
House Ant
|
| ** | 15. Ants come in many colors. Do they come in yellow and purple and green?
Source: Ants:
Organized Insects
|
| ** | 16. How many ants are there in the world for every person?
Source: Pest Control
|
| ** | 17. How many eggs does a female odorous house ant lay each day?
Source: Ants
|
| **/*** | 18. How can you tell the difference between a native fire ant and an imported fire ant?
Source: Fire
Ants Description and Biology
|
| **/*** | 19. How does the size of an anthill relate to conditions inside the nest?
Source: ANTcyclopedia
|
| **/*** | 20. How do worker ants lead other workers away from danger or to a source of food?
Source: Ants:
Working on Their Communication Skills
|
| **/*** | 21. Do leaf-cutter ants eat leaves? Explain your answer.
Source: Leaf-Cutter Ants: They're Real Cut-Ups
|
| **/*** | 22. Name three things that an ant's antennae enable it to do.
Source: Antennae:
An Insect's Five Senses
|
| **/*** | 23. A special dog dish has been invented so ants won't get into a dog's food. How does this dish prevent ant infestation?
Source: No
Ants My Doggy
|
| **/*** | 24. Why are "large yellow ants" sometimes called citronella ants?
Source: McCloud
Pest Facts
|
| **/*** | 25. How do ants clean their antennae?
Source: Antennae:
An Insect's Five Senses
|
| **/*** | 26. Army ants often travel in moving columns. What's the longest column of army ants ever seen?
Source: Army
Ants: An Army on the Move
|
| **/*** | 27. Through which port city did harmful fire ants from Mexico first enter the United States?
Source: Fire
Ants
|
| *** | 28. Ants have two sets of jaws. What do they use their second set of jaws -- called maxillae -- for?
Source: Ant
Jaws: Mighty, Multipurpose Mandibles
|
| *** | 29. Put the list of leafcutter ants below in order from smallest to largest. soldier leafcutter ant queen leaf-cutter ant worker leaf-cutter
ant
Source: Ants
|
| *** | 30. How long have ants lived on Earth?
Source: Gordon's
Ant Page
|
| *** | 31. Which worker ant lives the longest life -- the carpenter ant, the fire ant, or the odorous house ant?
Source: Ants
|
| *** | 32. When some ant species bite, they are able to make their bite seem doubly painful. How do they do that?
Source: Ants
|
| *** | 33. Does the carpenter ant eat wood like a termite does?
Source: Ant Control
|
| *** | 34. Things can be very difficult for a queen leafcutter ant that is starting a new colony. What might she use as a source of food in the
first days of a new colony?
Source: Introduction
About Ants
|
| *** | 35. Do ants make sounds? If so, what kind of sounds do they make?
Source: Ants:
Working on Their Communication Skills
|
