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.

The tarantula hawk wasps (also called the parasitic pepsis wasp) hunt tarantulas. The female wasp stings the tarantula to paralyze it. Then, it carries the tarantula's body back to the burrow and lays eggs on the spider's body. When the egg hatches, the wasp larvae will have a ready food source in the paralyzed spider, which they feed on as they grow.

These large hairy spiders are facing threats to their survival, primarily due to habitat destruction. As humans clear forests for various purposes, tarantulas lose their homes and food sources, pushing some species toward extinction.

Additionally, the exotic pet trade poses another danger. The high demand for pet tarantulas leads to their capture from the wild, resulting in declining populations. In response to the declining population, the US Fish and Wildlife Service decided to protect 11 species already considered threatened and endangered. 

These species are the following: Poecilotheria formosa, Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica (endangered), Poecilotheria metallica (critically endangered and highly sought after in the global pet trade), Poecilotheria miranda, Poecilotheria rufilata, Poecilotheria striata, Poecilotheria fasciata, Poecilotheria ornate (near threatened), Poecilotheria pederseni, Poecilotheria smithi  (vulnerable), and Poecilotheria subfusca (near threatened).

Conservation efforts also focus on captive breeding programs to meet the demand for pet tarantulas without harming wild populations.

What is your favorite tarantula fact? Share it on your social media feeds, and tag us!

The common wasp eats other insects, fruits, nectar, and sugary substances such as soda and ice cream. Its body has black and yellow stripes, and its face has an anchor-shaped mark.

Moreover, this social insect lives across the Northern Hemisphere. They construct their homes using chewed wood pulp in the ground, tree hollows, or hidden wall cavities. During the peak of summer, the population of a wasp colony can grow to 5,000 individuals.

This creature features a painful sting, which can cause severe pain for allergic people. However, they are essential pest control mechanisms, eating insects that threaten crops and garden plants.