Some queen ants can live up to 30 years. |Photo source: Deepak KR
Ants are one of the creatures on our planet that are taken for granted. It is understandable: they are everywhere. But if we slow down and focus on a group of ants, we can glimpse their world, full of purpose and order. Chennai-based Natural Education and Research Fund Ants in Chennai. The bilingual manual uses photographs to describe each of these species, talking about their unique characteristics, food preferences, habitats, and foraging behaviors.
The purpose of Palluyir, founded by naturalist Yuvan Aves, is to develop nature-based curriculum for school children. The trust has been working with the city’s government and private schools to take children on nature walks in the company’s parks, teaching them about the natural world through various modules developed by the team.
Ants play a vital role in soil aeration and can also transport nutrients | Image source: Karthikeyan G
“We developed a new module in six months. Among them, the Ant module has been hit in multiple schools,” said Palluyir’s Aravind Selvam, who added. The team also worked with 40 government school teachers from all over Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
this Ants in Chennai manual
|Picture source: Special arrangement
“One of the common feedback we receive from these teachers is that they no longer have nature on campus,” he said. The Ant Module helped them solve the problem. “Unlike bird watching that requires a person to go to a body of water or buy a pair of binoculars, ants are available. We don’t even need to go out and see the ants,” said Jomi Jose of Palluyir.
A year ago, the team began recording ants in Chennai and provided educational posters for children. “Since we discovered a lot of species, we decided to develop a guide,” she added. The book can be used by anyone interested in the natural world. “This will help adults observe nearby ants; they can identify and distinguish various species,” Aravind explained. Some species that can be found in cities include ring ants, trap claw ants, parade ants, hunchback ants, blurred pavement ants, etc.
If we do not interfere with their existence, the ants will not disturb us. |Picture source: Special arrangement
Palluyir has conducted four ant walks for adults over the past two months, and the team has seen a change in perception of ants. “They started to look at the ants in a different way,” said Gowtham Marimuthu, who once took a walk. “They understand that even without the lack of minimal organisms can lead to imbalances in the ecosystem,” he added. “People are beginning to see ants as insects that take food away.”
Gaoser said, ants, if we do not interfere with their existence, please do not disturb us. “They play a vital role in soil aeration and can also transport nutrients,” Chomi said, adding that ants form biological pest control systems by eating grasshoppers and caterpillars. Another interesting aspect about ants is that, like those who raise cattle, they are too small. Aravind explained that the ants raise insects that excrete honey and move with them as they progress. “They sometimes capture the wings of these miniworms to avoid flying away,” he said. “They have been doing this for millions of years, even before humans began agriculture.”
Some of the queen ants he said can live for up to 30 years. Aravind feels that once people understand ants, they build organic bonds with insects, thus sympathizing. “If when they see thousands of ants die for no reason because of chalk, and they feel something is bad, then our job is done.”
this Ants in Chennai The manual is priced at Rs 200 and can be found on palluyirtrust.org. Visit them on Instagram @palluyir_trust for information on the upcoming Ant Walk in Chennai.
publishing – February 28, 2025, 4:07 pm IST
