When you stop on ants does that mess up their whole colony system?

Question

Just curious as I have ant piles outside. Also when it gets hot the ants disappear, do they go back to the ground? I noticed that one ant stays outside.

Answer 1

As long as you don't kill the queen, the colony will continue to function. All ants are easily replaced since the queen has so many offspring. I'm not sure what they do when it gets too hot, though I assume they do go underground. The one ant that stays outside might be a sentry (is it a soldier or a worker?).

Answer 2

No....they just make more or invade your house.

Answer 3

It is a minor inconvenience to the colony when you step on ants.  The other ants are momentarily confused; but they soon get to work removing the corpses and carrying on as before.

Since ants are ectothermic, the only way they can regulate their body temperature is by their environment.  If it is too hot or too cold above ground, they will stay below.  I imagine that ants take turns guarding the doorway, so that they won't get overheated in summer.

Answer 4

There are three levels of ants: worker(1-500). officer (1-30). queen (1). workers can also be a scout, sentry, or hunter. They seek darkness when it is hot (underground). when they crawl they lay down a scent so there is a trail for others to follow.