HOW DO HARVESTER ANTS IN ISRAEL SURVIVE DURING MONTHS WHEN THERE IS NO HARVEST?
Harvester ants (messor semirufus)—and many other types of ants—collect seeds during the warmer months of the year and store it in granary chambers measuring one centimeter (1/2 an inch) in height and up to 12 centimeters (5 inches) in diameter. They may collect seeds from the ground or plants and carry them to underground nests, usually located near grain fields or threshing floors.
The ants gather enough food and water to last up to 4 months. When it rains, and the seeds become damp, the worker ants take the seeds into the sunshine to dry and bring them back into the nest during the evening. Some ants bite off the growing tip from the seeds when they begin to germinate, or at the time they are collected.
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