Undoubtedly, almost all of us have always seen ants in dry places, or they crowded around probably something sweet. You may see them wiggling on the floor or rising upon any table or chair.
But have you ever seen an ant or its colony in places that contain water, like your bathroom or a puddle? Mostly in such areas, we encounter earthworms or other sorts of insects.
So the question to be explored about which the discovery has to be made is whether can ants swim. One should never underestimate an ant’s characteristics and inhibited qualities because of its size.
As surprising as it may seem, all credit goes to the small size of the ant that enables them to undertake most of their endeavors and succeed. Despite being only a few millimeters in length, ants tend to display despicable qualities, and now it’s time we discover if they have the quality to swim.
Can Ants Swim?
It must be to your knowledge that every insect present on the Earth has been divided into species. With the various occurring species for every insect or animal, their characteristics differ too.
At times one may be able to take up a particular task, while the same insect that has been categorized into a different specie will not be capable of performing the same job. Well, this is because it all narrows down to every species’ quality. They are all distinct and distinguished.
So is the case with ants too. Does that mean can ants swim? While we cannot vouch for all ants to possess the ability to swim, some species of ants can swim effortlessly.
Although not every ant can swim, they can still float. While their features across the ranging species differ, weight is a factor that remains common amongst all. Thus, granting all ants, regardless of their species, the ability to float on the water.
Again, this is not a testimony against the fact that all ants cannot swim. Indeed, all ants cannot swim but float as they are light-weighted, and their small body size does not allow them to break the tension encountered on the surface of the water, keeping them afloat.
Can Ants Swim in Soapy Water?
Before we answer your question, can ants swim in soapy water? You must be able to discern soapy water from simple water. Soapy water is mixed with another compound to formulate the final composition.
It can be either detergent, soap, or the bottle of your handwash. If bubbles are present and the texture of the water feels slippery to the hand, it can be regarded as soapy water.
Now to resolve your query- no, ants cannot swim in soapy water. Strange, isn’t it? An ant can swim in regular water but not in soapy water. This is because when you place an ant into the basin containing soapy water, it won’t be able to keep itself afloat.
Remember that the ant can keep itself floating because the light weight makes the creature physically incapable of penetrating the tension on the water’s surface. However, this tension has already been broken down through the chemicals of the compound mixed with regular water to create soapy water.
Another reason ants cannot swim in water is that the substances work towards clogging the spiracles present on the ant’s body which are necessary to keep the ant alive. Since ants do not have lungs, their spiracles help them breathe.
In soapy water, spiracles cannot close, allowing the water to enter the body and eventually resulting in suffocation. Therefore, if you are ever looking to get rid of the newly found ant’s nest in your backyard, drown these ants in soapy water instead of tap water.
We guarantee you that even if the soapy water does not suffocate all the ants, it surely will force them to move out of your living space.
Can Ants Drown?
Suppose you are looking to cleanse your house of ants and are thinking of drowning them in water. Stop right there. Your plan will not work because ants cannot drown. As much as a source of nuisance ants can be, drowning them by purposely flooding the nest with water is not the most viable solution.
Biology remains the same for everyone. A person or an animal only drowns or dies in water once water completely takes over its lungs. However, ants do not have lungs. So, it does not matter how much water you use to progress with your plan of drowning ants. You will not achieve any success on this road.
Even if you remain firm on going ahead with your method of drowning ants, failure will follow you again. This is because ants are bound to rise to the water’s surface due to their lightweight. It is impossible that with the size and weight of an ant, they will remain underwater for a long time.
The wax-like cuticles that an ant has pose resistance against drowning. Wax is not a solvent in water, and there will be no time soon, despite keeping ants in the water attempting to drown them, that their waxy surfaces will mix with water.
Nevertheless, if you are desperately looking to flood the multiple ant nest present in the garden of your house, we might have one solution that would work. Even if the whole colony is not eliminated, rest assured some difference in the ant population will be observed.
Where you initially wanted to drown the ants with tap water, mix the same water with some detergent or soap and simply create soapy water. In our preceding section, we have mentioned why an ant cannot survive in soapy water. Go through it if you want to know the why.
But this hack is guaranteed to work, so try soapy water to drown ants.
Can Ants Drown When It Rains?
Until now, we have successfully discovered that ants cannot swim, but what happens to them when it rains, and how do they manage? Can ants drown when it rains?
No ants do not drown even when it rains. One consistent thing is that no one will be drowning ants, whether it is your attempt or the rain. They do not have lungs that will be collapsed by water, and the body weight acts as a rescuer to the ants in such situations, ensuring that they stay afloat on the surface.
However, ants will be there whenever it rains, not dying or drowning. Instead, they will crawl into your living space very hasty, seeking shelter and invading your room while it rains.
If not your area, ants run towards their nest in the rain. They stay there until it has stopped pouring, and since ants are experienced and skilled foragers, they have already stored enough food to sustain their hunger. Therefore, they need not leave their nests to hunt for food and just remain in their nests to enjoy the rainy weather.
How Long Can Ants Live in Water?
Water is one of those mediums that we would never advise messing with. It’s never too safe with water, regardless of whatever precautions you take. Be it an ant or a human; their destiny will be the same- death.
Still, how long can ants live in water until they meet their fate? Whenever ants find themselves amid water bodies, the first thing that they make sure to do is to contain their breath. They stop breathing and instead hold it all inside well within their bodies.
This is done by closing the spiracles on the outside of the exoskeleton of the ant’s body. Practically the spiracles closing is done for protection against the water from entering the body as it would render the entire internal working mechanism.
Water entering the insides of ants means that it would hinder the process of oxygen uptake and distribution to the cells, refraining carbon dioxide from being released to the external surrounding.
Even though ants can survive for a long time without oxygen due to their extraordinary capacity for holding their breath, for most species, this capacity is only restricted to up to twenty-four hours. In contrast, for others, it is fourteen days after which ants are bound to die.
Can Ants Survive in Hot Water?
Weather or water conditions constitute one of those crucial factors that hamper an ant’s survival. But still, we are not very sure whether ants can survive in hot water.
It all depends on the water’s temperature and what is considered a definition of hot water, as it is subjective and can vary for everyone. Supposedly, if the water has been heated to a temperature beyond a hundred and fifty degrees or more, the likelihood for the ants to survive decreases.
Hence, it is presumed that as the temperature of the water increases, the chances for an ant to survive simultaneously decrease. But if you want this information to apply to rid of ants, then reconsider!
Spilling hot or boiling water on ants’ nests is not recommended. You might be achieving your mission of killing the ants or drowning them immediately, but it will cause more damage than intended.
Think of your living space; pouring hot water in your garden and on the grass is not ideal for continuing plant growth. Stop and ponder: would you still want to drown ants in hot water and ruin your garden?
Why Can Ants Swim?
We have confidently determined that not all ants can swim, but a few specific species. Now let us proceed further and examine why and for what reasons can these species of ants swim.
The following are the reasons enabling ants to swim, and they all are primarily linked to how the tiny body of an ant is composed.
Lungs
Although, with humans and other animals, the lungs are an essential body part. With ants, the case appears to be different. Where lungs are utilized for breathing purposes, the absence of lungs in ants makes their breathing highly reliant on the outer structure.
Ants have an exoskeleton on which are present numerous tiny spiracles. They are like small pores on specific organisms within which respiratory operations happen. Their small body structures do not allow them to have space to accommodate a pair of lungs, so they use their spiracles for breathing.
Oxygen is inhaled and circulated within an ant’s body when it enters through the spiracle, and carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere via the same opening. Therefore, it does not matter if an ant is underwater or under the open sky because they won’t be making use of lungs but their spiracles.
A lack of lungs, in fact, ensures the survival of these ants in the water.
Strong Muscles
Ants have six legs, and every single of its legs is built out of solid muscles. These powerful muscles in the legs aid the ant in swimming. One of the significant reasons why an ant can smoothly and without facing any complications can push the waves of the water against and swim.
Such muscles are strong enough to resist the water enabling the ant to move its legs back and forth freely or to employ a stroke while swimming.
Waxy body
Cuticles on the ant do not have a rough or smooth texture. However, naturally, these cuticles have been coated in wax. When in water, wax works to be a coping mechanism for the ants, preventing them from drowning.
Thus, the wax-like cuticles on the ant’s body counter the water and maintain that the ant keeps floating instead of being deep within the layers of the water.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you never have to sit and wonder about can ants swim because we have successfully addressed your concern and provided much more insight about the ants and their quality to swim!