Ants (Hymenoptera)

Ants are social insects. The word hymenoptera is a compound word derived from the words “hymen” and “feather”. They form colonies ranging in size from a few dozen predators living in small natural cavities to highly organized societies covering large areas and consisting of millions of members. Larger colonies are composed primarily of sterile apterous females that form ranks of “workers”, “soldiers”, or other specialized groups. Almost all ant colonies have some fertile males (drones) and one or more fertile females (queens).
The head is attached to the thorax in such a way that it is very flexible. They have five eyes, two of which are compound and the others simple, and a small proboscis. The thorax is divided into the prothorax, the mesothorax and the metathorax. The abdomen consists of separate joints, sometimes numbering nine. They have two pairs of wings, the second being smaller than the first. They are transparent with ribs.
They are distinguished from the Termites (Isoptera) by the fact that the first abdominal segments joining the thorax are usually very thin and form a kind of stalk