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The Nest Nests of fungus-growing ants vary tremendously in size, depending on the species of fungus-growing ant and the age of the colony. |
The lower attines have quite small colonies, with only a few hundred workers at most. The fungus garden of a mature colony occupies little more than the volume of a golf-ball. The nests of the lower attines are quite simple, with one or a few fungus gardens in soil or rotting wood connected to the surface by a single tunnel. Nests of the genus Apterostigma are often placed under stones or logs involving little excavation of soil The picture on the right shows the fungus garden of a colony Apterostigma collare on the underside of a stone. The fungus garden is about 12 cm across, which is large for a lower attine. |  |
 | The higher attine ants have much larger nests. The largest nests are those of some of the leaf-cutter ants in the genus Atta . There can be millions to tens-of-millions of workers in each colony. Several tons of earth may be excavated by a mature colony. Much of this is deposited as nest mounds above the nest, the shape of which gives the colony extra protection against rain and floods as well as providing a structural defence against attack by anteaters and other predators. The nests of the higher attines are complex structures, often with several chambers, each with a fungus garden, connected by tunnels. The leaf-cutter ants also have specialised dump chambers that are excavated below the nest. There may be many entrances to a single nest. The picture to the left shows two nest mounds that are only part of a single Atta nest. Each mound is about 50 cm in diameter. A cleared foraging trail can be seen in the foreground. |
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