Myrmecology
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Contents |
Definitions
Myrmecology is the branch of entomology dealing with ants.
Myrmecochorous (adj.) dispersed by ants.
Myrmecophagous (adj.) feeding on ants.
Myrmecophile (n.) an organism that habitually shares an ant nest myrmecophilous adj., myrmecophily n.
The Idea of Myrmecology
The Ant, its habits, behaviours and society have long fascinated man. Ancient Judaic and Greek moral tales both tell show that these societies had observed the behaviour of ants and related it to that of people. In many ways this social understanding of the ant world is what myrmecology is all about.
Early Examples of human attempts to understand ant society
Jewish Mosaic Law
Said that any seeds found in the nests of ants must be given to the poor: In Southern Mediteranean and Middle Eastern countries, there are numerous species of ants of the genera Phelidole and Messor which gather seeds and store them.
Solomon (Proverbs vi 6,7,8)
"Go to the ant and be wise" This Refers to the the prudence of the same species of ant as mentioned above, in that they store the seeds they gather until they begin to sprout, then remove the sprout and leave them in the sun to dry, during which process the starch within the seeds turns to sugar. Clearly Solomon was not aware of this, but could see that the ants were looking after their provender.
Pliny
Lauded the industry of the ant working through the summer nights.
Aelian
Admired the complex arrangements of the galleries and chambers in the nests of ants and compared these with the labyrinths of Greece and Crete.
Later Studies
This early wonder at such great industry in such a small creatue resulted in the birth of Myrmecology, and the discovery that many of the features of the way of life of ants are similar to our own, and the extent of the great diversity of species which belong to the ant kingdom.
The only Real Enemy of the Ant is the Ant itself.