Supercolony

“Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’.” [Genesis 15:5]

The largest known cooperative organism living on Earth is a single “supercolony” of ants that stretches more than 3,700 miles! Scientists say the vast colony of Argentine ants extends from the northwest of Italy, tracing around the Mediterranean coasts of France, and rounding Spain up to Portugal – a distance wider than the entire United States!

Argentine ants were first introduced to Italy about 90 years ago. It is believed they hitched a ride across the ocean on a freighter carrying South American fruit or plants. After landing, they quickly became established in the ideal habitat. With plentiful food and few natural enemies, they spread like a plague.

A team of researchers captured about 5,000 ants from 33 separate nests in Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal and transported the insects back to a laboratory. Once in the lab, the scientists arranged ant fights – pitting ants against one another from among the 33 nests. Argentine ants will normally be friendly and cooperate with ants from their own colony, but fight fiercely with other types of ants or members of other colonies. Over the span of a year, the scientists arranged more than 1,000 ant fights. What they discovered was that ants from 30 of the nests were closely related and refused to fight one another! Even ants from opposite ends of the supercolony were able to recognize each other and cooperate.

Amazingly, large colonies have developed in California, Japan, and other parts of the world that are related to the supercolony in Europe. When scientists put ants from large colonies in North America and Asia with the European ants, the ants acted as though they were old friends; they were cooperative and non-aggressive. There are millions of nests comprising the enormous ant colony in Europe, and it is estimated to contain at least ten times as many ants as the number of stars in the Milky Way.

Did you know that in the Bible, God promised that His people would grow beyond the number of the stars? The promise was made to Abraham, and God is still in the process of fulfilling that promise. His Word says, “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). By accepting Jesus, you become part of His great supercolony!