Article: Ants: Creatures of Wisdom | Roshan Benzy George
“Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer….” (Proverbs 30:24-25)
This age-old bible verse is good as new. Indeed, there are a lot of things to learn from ants. Ants are one of the small creatures that we see around us. But we will be surprised by hearing about the capabilities of ants which God provided it with. Even though this a fallen-world, it still holds the fingerprints of God who made it. This article will take you through God’s wisdom and the magnificence of God’s works. Now, let us start!
Based on their life ants can be classified into two: migratory ants and ants that live in settled colonies. Migratory ants migrate with their colonies to different places in search of food, water and nesting sites. They do so with the help of magnetoreception (sensing magnetic fields of the earth). Isn’t it a surprising fact? Indeed, ants have a variety of techniques like this for navigation which include positions of sun and moon, the intensity of light from them, magnetoreception, chemical communication and analyzing the things around them. These same tricks are also used by ants that live in settled colonies to reach their nest safely. When ants march in a procession, the leading ants adjust their pace according to the speed of the following ants. If a following ant is slow, then the leading ant slows down. If the following ants catches up then the leading ant moves faster. The case of ants that live in colonies is even more interesting. There are different types of ants in a colony based on their duties, some find food or hunt prey, some take care of the eggs, some guard the colony, some even performs cleaning duties! They clean the colony getting rid of garbage, keeps a check on the growth of harmful microorganisms and bacteria. Cleaning ants in some colonies even remove dead ants from their colonies to make it tidy! That’s not all. There are ants which have symbiotic relationship with aphids (a parasite in crops). They protect and rear aphides for their sugary byproduct called honeydew. There are certain species of ants (for example, leafcutter ants) which farm fungi in their colonies for their food! They do so by cutting leaves and grass and carrying it to their nests so that they can grow fungus on they.
These capabilities and works of ants make us ponder on God’s wisdom in awe. Our Lord’s wisdom, strength and riches are unfathomable. “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His.” (Daniel 2:20)
Roshan Benzy George
-ADVERTISEMENT-