Carpenter ant

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/carpenter-ant

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What do carpenter ants do to wood?Carpenter ants dig tunnels and galleries in wood, pushing the cut pieces out as small piles called frass. They don’t eat the wood, they just make space for their nest.
2. Why are carpenter ants important in forests?They help break down dead trees and logs, speeding up the return of nutrients to the soil. This makes the forest healthier and gives food to many animals.

Eusociality: A complex social structure characterized by cooperative brood care, overlapping generations, and reproductive division of labor.
Polymorphism: The occurrence of different forms or types within a species, such as worker castes of varying sizes in ants.
Polydomous Colony: An ant colony that maintains multiple interconnected nests, allowing for greater flexibility and resource utilization.
Alates: Winged reproductive ants (queens and males) that emerge from the nest to mate and disperse.