My mother went to the market to buy vegetables. As she was late, I felt hungry and ate some sugar and closed the lid of the bottle. After a few minutes my mother came back and asked me to come to the kitchen to help her. What a surprise! Red ants had covered the bottle of sugar. A line of ants was coming one after the other. Each one was picking one sugar cube on its return journey. They were greeting each other when they met and I suspect that they must be sharing their secrets. I began to research on ants.
There are multiple types of ants and the most common are black ants and red ants. Red ants are also called Fire Ants. Kadiya is the common ant in home gardens. The golden ant which is slightly bigger is named Dimiya and usually built its home called dimigotuwa using tree leaves.
Red ants are found on the ground and they sting and release a small acidic venom. A sting of a black ant may not be painful as that of a red ant. Red ants sting to defend themselves against enemies while black ants avoid fights by moving away from the enemy.
Hirun Harendra Kalupahana Grade 6, Richmond College, Galle.