Hi Air-conditioned Ants!.!

The secret behind their vast underground cities...  Hi ventilation...,

They are known for their industrious nature, but the humble ant's sophisticated home-making skills has left some of the brightest scientific minds in awe of the tiny creatures.

Researchers have discovered the vast underground colonies where up to seven million of the insects live have their very own in-built ventilation shafts.

It is thought the 'air-conditioning' helps ants tend to a delicately-balanced fungal garden that feeds their young.

"Hard workers: Underground ant colonies are so complex, they even have ventilation shafts"

"Sophisticated: Scientists could not work out how the ants build nests that stayed at the right temperature... until now"

For years scientists have been at a loss as to how the industrious ants were able to keep their nests at just the right temperature to allow the fungus to grow... until now.

New research has shown that the insects make specially-constructed turrets which ventilate the nests for optimum growth.

'The ants construct the turrets by stacking sand grains and little balls of clay that they mould with their [jaws].'

When pores collapsed under water, the walls would compact - and immediately the worker ants removed the materials and re-worked the turret wall.

The scientists said the research confirmed that ventilation turrets were 'built structures' as opposed to passive deposition of excavated soil, a technique used by other ant species.