Wacky Insect Factoids

This is the eBook version of the printed book.

This Element is an excerpt from Curious Folks Ask 2: 188 Real Answers on Our Fellow Creatures, Our Planet, and Beyond (9780137057399) by Sherry Seethaler. Available in print and digital formats.

Why crickets chirp, ants touch noses, and bees can’t fly at night.

Yes, ants do communicate with each other. They live in social groups and have developed a highly sophisticated chemical communication system. They leave chemical trails to lead comrades to newly discovered food, release chemical alarms to warn of predators, and have a personal chemical “signature” that lets ants know who is a member of their colony…