^ Hyginus, Fabulae 52 Servius' Commentary on Virgil, Aeneid 4.402.Melite (= Karl Wilhelm Ludwig MГјller, Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum, 1. ^ Servius' Commentary on Virgil, Aeneid 4.402.In the account of Strabo, these people received their name because they excavated the earth after the manner of ants and spread the soil over the rocks, so as to have ground to till, and also because they lived in the dugouts, refraining from the use of soil for bricks Then, the god in answer of the prayer, metamorphosed all the ants of the country into men, who were thence called Myrmidones, because in Greek ants are called 'myrmekes'. Aeacus while gazing at some ants begged his father to give him men for defense. After a great famine had occurred, the king lost his allies and could not protect himself on the account of the scarcity of men. Zeus made his son Aeacus king of Thessaly, usually the island of Aegina, which was not inhabited by human beings. Myrmex, that is, an ant, from which animal, according to some traditions, the Myrmidons in Thessaly derived their name.Myrmex, according to Philochorus, was the father of Melite, from whom the Attic demos of Melite derived its name.When the goddess had invented the plough, the girl boastfully pretended to have made the discovery herself, whereupon she was metamorphosed into an ant.

Myrmex, an Attic maiden who was beloved by Athena.Native Americans have snacked on these sweet ants for centuries, making them possibly the first ones ever brought to a picnic onВ purpose.In Greek mythology, Myrmex ( Ancient Greek: ОњПЌПЃОјО·Оѕ) may refer to the following two individuals and a being: The honey-pot ants that live in our southwestern deserts gather large amounts of nectar and store it in the swollen bodies of specialized worker ants called repletes. In some cultures, ants are considered delicacies. Some ants even keep aphids in their nest as a farmer would keep a cow, giving them food and shelter in exchange forВ honeydew.The honeydew is brought back to the nest and shared with the queen and otherВ workers.The ants swallow it and store it in a special holding stomach called theВ crop.The ants stroke the insects with their antennas, causing the insects to excrete the sweetВ liquid.These insects produce a substance called honeydew: Ants are also the source ofВ food for many other insects, birds, and mammals so important to theВ ecosytem.ДЄ sudden convergence of ants in the garden, or a line of ants moving up and down a tree, usually indicates the presence of aphids, mealybugs, or other sap-sucking insects that attack plants.Many ants are predators and feed on insects that attack lawns and gardens, and in the process of gathering food, they often pollinate flowers and distributeВ seeds.After the ants leave, fungi and bacteria grow in the galleries and break down the lignin and cellulose on largeВ surfaces. By making their nests in dead or diseased wood, they accelerate the decomposition process. Even carpenter ants keep the environment clean.Ants act as decomposers,В feeding on organic waste, insects, or other deadВ animals.The leaves and insects brought into the nest decay and fertilize the surroundingВ plants.Most ants nest in the ground, digging a labyrinth of tunnels that aerate the soil and allowВ moisture to get to the roots of plants.В They also till the soil by bringing pebbles and particles to theВ top.The Benefits ofВ AntsДЄlthough some species, like the carpenter ant and the stinging fire ant, can be pests, generally ants areВ beneficial. After mating, the male ants die, and the mated queens fly off, shed their wings, and start newВ colonies. At certain times, winged males and females are produced by the queen for the purpose of mating with ants from other colonies. The total ant population is estimated at one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000).В Wow! AntВ ColoniesДЄnts live in colonies made up almost entirely of non-mating female workers whose job is to gather food, build the nest, and look after the egg-laying queen and her young.

The myth of the ant queen analysis