Fun Fact: Carpenter ants chew through wood and create tunnel systems inside the hollow. 

Despite chewing wood, Carpenter Ants do not eat wood. They carve up decaying wood and build homes inside them; they do not require wood particles to survive. Moreover, carpenter ants are nocturnal, weakening wood without detection.

Moreover, carpenter ants are natural foragers, traveling up to 100 yards in search of insects, proteins, and sugars. Carpenter ants also practice trophallaxis, where they share food and fluids. In addition, the carpenter ant builds satellite colonies to house their young.

Fun Fact: Tawny crazy ants often display erratic and unpredictable behavior, which explains their name. They perform quick and unexpected movements, giving the impression that they are agitated or like a child on a sugar rush.

Crazy ants originate from Africa but have since spread globally to tropical and subtropical regions1. These ants can thrive in dry and moist environments, although they prefer the latter. Moreover, they are curious about electronic devices and often live inside them, causing short circuits.

Unlike other ants, they have multiple queens that govern over "supercolonies." Combined with their rapid breeding, their social structure makes them difficult to eradicate. They eat insects, seeds, fruits, and human leftovers.

Fun Fact: Fire ants are not native to North America. In the early 1900s, they arrived by accident from South America through the delivery of shipping materials. Consequently, fire ants have spread rapidly and become a pest in many parts of the US. Moreover, seeing fire ant mounds indicates an ant infestation. 

Fire ants are aggressive, dark, reddish-brown ants. Their name, "fire ant," refers to their bright color and their sting, which causes a burning sensation2. These ants build their nests in sunny areas that mimic small hills. In urban settings, they build nests in lawns, some of which run two meters underground with multiple entry and exit points. Fire ants eat plant matter, seeds, and other insects.

As invasive creatures, fire ants threaten small animals and other local wildlife. When threatened, they relentlessly sting their prey and intruders. Moreover, fire ant venom causes burning pain and abscess formation. Likewise, fire ants attack as one, stinging the intruder all over its body.

Fun Fact: Unlike most ants that scavenge for food, leafcutter ants cut and transport pieces of leaves to their nests. The ants use the leaves as a substrate to grow a specific type of fungus, their primary food source. Moreover, the ants remove harmful molds or bacteria from their "farms."

Leafcutter ants also carry leaf fragments in a distinct pattern along a well-traveled path. They predominantly live in warmer climates, such as South and Central America, Mexico, and the southern US. However, their behavior can strip entire fields of vegetation, causing problems for agriculture.

Fun Fact: Odorous house ants produce an unpleasant smell when crushed; their odor is like a mix of rotten coconut and blue cheese. 

These ants live in the varied terrains of North America. Despite their size, they can survive in the soil under rocks, logs, carpets, and walls.

Moreover, adult ants will eat dead insects, sweet confections, dairy, meat, vegetables, and honeydew from aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs. Odorous house ants also follow a network of trails–indoors and outdoors–to find food and nest around hot water pipes and heaters.

Fun Fact: Pharaoh ants can form large supercolonies, a network of interconnected nests covering entire buildings. If you spot a Pharaoh ant in your kitchen, that means there are thousands of them nearby. 

This Ant is native to Africa but has spread worldwide. Its love for warm and humid places has made it a major pest in hospitals, hotels, and apartment buildings. Moreover, it can transmit disease and contaminate objects. You should call ant control to handle an ant invasion.

These ants live in multi-queen colonies with hundreds of queens and thousands of workers. Since they have no territorial instinct, they merge colonies. They also have a unique "budding" behavior.

Fun Fact: Sugar ants, true to their name, love sugary substances. While looking for sweets, they form long chains to transport their haul back to their colonies. If you see a procession of worker ants leading to spilled soda or cookie crumbs, you are most likely seeing sugar ants at work.

The sugar ant originates from Australia and can adapt to urban and forest environments. Moreover, it is a nocturnal insect with a light orange coat and a dark head and abdomen. Despite their name, sugar ants do not limit themselves to sweet foods and will also consume dead insects or sip on nectar.

During the spring and early summer, winged queens leave their colonies to establish new territories. Sugar Ants will make their homes in rocks, soil, wood, or twigs. While these ants may appear harmless, they fight fiercely to protect their homes.

Fun Fact: As a defense strategy, acrobat ants lift their abdomen above their head to fend off predators. 

Acrobat ants have heart-shaped abdomens that help them arch their abdomens over their head and body in a perfect backbend when they sense danger. Moreover, they emit a foul smell when upset.

There are also 400 acrobat ants worldwide, including 30 in North America. They can build their nests in forests, backyards, or rotting wood. Additionally, they can occupy abandoned ant nests. These ants are hunters and farmers, feeding on insects and tending to aphids for the honeydew they produce. They control pests and do organic recycling.

Next on our tarantula facts list: The name "tarantula" traces its origins back to the city of Taranto, located in southern Italy. The term originated in the 14th century when a peculiar dancing and sweating illness called "tarantism" spread in the region. The citizens believed that the cause of this condition was a bite from a venomous wolf spider (Lycosa tarantula), commonly called the "tarantula."

Although the spider responsible for tarantism was not a tarantula species, the name became associated with giant spiders with hairy legs over time. Today, the name "tarantula" describes this diverse group of spiders.

On the other hand, the Goliath Bird-Eating Tarantula, the biggest spider, did not get the name because they exclusively feed on birds. Thanks to their impressive size, it merely hints at their ability to take down various creatures, including birds.

Another interesting tarantula fact is that tarantulas prefer to live in forests, grasslands, deserts, savannas, mountains, and even coastal areas. Furthermore, most North American tarantulas dwell on the ground, but some species inhabit trees, cliffs, caves, or crops like bananas and pineapples.

They create burrows in arid regions such as the Southwestern United States, Mexico, Africa, and Asia. Tarantulas have also established themselves in Australia, including tree-dwelling species that inhabit forests, showcasing their adaptability to different habitats.