Ants are seen as robots as they are usually seen moving around in open areas and inside the house. It raises curiosity among people whether these creatures work 24/7.
Do Ants Work in Shifts? Ants work in shifts as they need a break from challenging activities and take rest to revive their energy. Almost 20 to 40% of the nest population is taking rest, while 60 to 80% of members are actively involved in activities. However, they usually get busy with other nest activities like taking care of larvae and food breakdown when taking rest.
Every colony has a different peak time for activity as it varies with the species, as diurnal are usually busy with their chores in the daytime, while nocturnal species prefer to navigate in the dark.
These insects have amazing coordination and division of tasks according to their capabilities. A large population of workers manages to work in different shifts and assign tasks to others.
Why do ants work in shifts?
Ants’ colonies show organized behavior as they have a division of labor where every member performs their own task and coordinate with each other.
All of them are not engaged in activities at the same time, and they do not enjoy sleep altogether. It can pose a risk to the survival of the nest as predators can attack when no one is there to protect it.
Accordingly, they prefer working in shifts as they need a break from the laborious tasks of nests. It is pretty challenging for these tiny insects to get out of their nests and navigate their territories.
Sometimes, they have to travel several miles distance in search of food and moisture and return to their nests with heavy loads of food particles on their back.
Similarly, they have to exert force to break bigger and complex particles of food that can be easily carried on their backs. They need rest to revive their energy and improve task efficiency.
Continuous working habits can have a negative impact on their lifespan as living creatures cannot work like robots and die earlier if they are exposed to constant physical burdens.
Accordingly, these insects take several naps and work in different shifts daily to regain their energy and improve their lifespan.
What percentage of ants actually work?
All of the colony members cannot afford to sleep at one time because predators will get a chance to attack and kill them.
Accordingly, they prefer to work in shifts as working members hand over charge to resting ones when they feel tired and need to rest.
Almost 20 to 40% of the insects in a colony take rest at one time as it does not pose any survival risk.
A colony can afford a small percentage of non-working members because the remaining 60 to 80% keep doing work.
These 40% slack members remain inside the nest and relax their body muscles as they have to engage themselves in foraging activities sooner or later.
Overall, they sleep for approximately 4 hours and 40 minutes, but this time is broken down into several sleep cycles.
However, the remaining 75 to 80% population is responsible for foraging activities and remains outside their nests. They will get back to the nest with food particles and stored moisture to feed the colony.
Furthermore, these foraging insects keep working until they get tired and push resting members to take control of the activities and leave the nest.
Do ants stop working at rest time?
The resting members of an ant colony stop dealing with outdoor activities, including searching for food location, collecting, and hauling the particles back to the nest.
However, they do not take complete rest as these sluggish members take control of the activities usually performed inside the nest.
It feels like they are resting and enjoying within the mound, but they are not completely free of responsibilities. They are involved in other tasks like nourishing the brood and queen.
They feed newly born larvae and help them grow into adults, as they cannot feed on their own. These resting insects are usually known to replace the working force if they die in a war.
Furthermore, it is assumed that resting ants can fill the gap in the workforce by becoming part of foraging activities when a few members die, but foraging insects do not become part of slack ones.
Do ants sleep and eat in shifts?
Ants’ colonies comprised of different castes with varying behaviors as queens sleep for long compared to workers as they do not have extra responsibilities except reproduction.
Moreover, the workers sleep and eat in shifts in a similar way as they perform nest tasks. As a result, they have almost 230 to 250 naps daily, depending on the length of the day and tasks.
Other colony members are busy in nest activities when a few insects are enjoying naps. Their naps do not last long and only for 50 to 60 seconds at maximum.
However, their eating patterns also vary as workers eat more than the other colony members. They need more energy to navigate their surroundings and get food for others.
They prefer to eat food whenever they find it in their way and store a part of it in their abdomen to feed larvae and the mother queen.
What type of ants works round the clock?
A few nocturnal species of ants are known to work round the clock as their bodies support nighttime activities. As a result, they have better vision in the dark and explore their surroundings.
Carpenter and sugar ants are nocturnal species that are usually seen doing work day and night. Therefore, they can only manage 24/7 activities by working several shifts.
A large population of the colony seems busy building nests and bringing food inside the nest, while a small population of these insects takes a rest.
Moreover, it does not mean that there is a specific population of workers involved continuously in activities; instead, resting members come forward to replace the tired ones.
However, their colonies do not slow down and remain functional for every minute of the day as they have an incredible division of labor and give tired members a chance to rest.
Additionally, pharaoh and argentine ants are diurnal species that are mostly active in the daytime and take a rest in the dark. They have smaller eyes that do not support acute vision at night.
Furthermore, they perform activities within the nest in the nighttime and tend larvae queens to develop and produce eggs.