Animals & Environment, World
This Ant Species Produces Only Queens
29 May 2026
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Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which extra detail do you think is in the story?
a) These ants eat giant spiders in the forest.
b) Every female ant in this group is a queen.
c) The ants live in big underwater caves.
Ask:
(1) Do you like insects? Why or why not?
(2) What do you know about ant queens?
VOCABULARY
special
(adjective)
wing
(noun)
nest
(noun)
chore
(noun)
forest
(noun)
ˈspɛʃəl
better, greater, or different from what is usual
Example: This is a very special bird because it can talk.
wɪŋ
one of the parts of the body that a bird, insect, or bat uses for flying
Example: The butterfly has beautiful blue wings.
nɛst
a home built by an animal to live in or have babies
Example: The ants built a large nest under the old tree.
tʃɔːr
a small job that you have to do regularly
Example: Cleaning my room is my favorite chore.
ˈfɔːrɪst
a large area of land covered with many trees
Example: Many wild animals live in the dark forest.
In the Chocó forest of Ecuador, scientists found a new ant species. It is named Strumigenys ayerstor. Most ant nests have one queen and many workers. But this special species is different. These ants produce only queens. Every female ant has wings. They do not have any worker ants to do chores.
How do they live? These ants are parasites. They do not build their own nests. Instead, they go into the nests of other ants. They live there and take food from the host ants. The host ants do all the hard work. The new queens just live and grow.
The Chocó forest is a very important place. It has many rare animals and plants. This new ant shows that nature is full of surprises. Even small insects can be very strange.
Listen
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Where do these new ants live?
2. How is this ant nest different from a normal ant nest?
3. What do these ants use their wings for?
4. Do you think being a "parasite" is a good way to live?
5. Would you like to be a scientist in a forest?
6. Why is the Chocó forest special?
FILL IN THE GAPS
1. LISTEN AND FILL GAPS
Word Bank: chores / wings / special / nest / forest
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
In the Chocó (1) __________ of Ecuador, scientists found a new ant species. It is named Strumigenys ayerstor. Most ant nests have one queen and many workers. But this (2) __________ species is different. These ants produce only queens. Every female ant has (3) __________. They do not have any worker ants to do (4) __________. How do they live? These ants are parasites. They do not build their own (5) __________. Instead, they go into the nests of other ants. They live there and take food from the host ants. The host ants do all the hard work. The new queens just live and grow.
2. MAIN IDEA
Choose one:
Scientists found a new ant species in Ecuador where every female is a queen.
Worker ants in Ecuador are building larger nests for their new queen.
Many different animals are leaving the Chocó forest to find new homes.
UNDERSTANDING
3. TRUE OR FALSE
1. The new ant species is from New York. T / F
2. Every female ant in this species has wings. T / F
3. These ants build their own big nests. T / F
4. PUT EVENTS IN ORDER
Put the events from the story in the correct order from first (1) to last (3):
[ ] The new queen ants live and grow in the host nest.
[ ] The queen ants enter the nests of other ants.
[ ] Scientists discover the Strumigenys ayerstor in a forest.
LANGUAGE
Vocabulary Match
5. VOCAB MATCH
Match each vocabulary word with a definition:
1. Special
2. Wing
3. Nest
4. Chore
5. Forest
a) A large area with many trees.
b) A regular small job or task.
c) Different from what is usual.
d) A home built by an insect or bird.
e) Part of the body used for flying.
USE IT
6. DISCUSSION BUILDER
Choose the best phrase for each gap:
These ants are very strange __________ they do not have workers.
because / but / so
The host ants do the work, __________ the queens can just rest.
because / but / so
7. SENTENCE UNSCRAMBLE
A. The ants B. wings C. have D. because E. they are queens.
A. I think B. the forest C. is D. a very E. beautiful place.
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up
Think Ahead: b. The article explains that this unique species lacks a worker class entirely.
Listening
(1) forest
(2) special
(3) wings
(4) chores
(5) nest
Main Idea
Scientists found a new ant species in Ecuador where every female is a queen. This summarizes the core biological surprise of the story.
True or False
False. The first sentence says they were found in the Chocó forest of Ecuador.
True. The second paragraph states that every female ant has wings.
False. The text explains that they are parasites and do not build their own nests.
Put Events in Order
Scientists discover the Strumigenys ayerstor in a forest.
The queen ants enter the nests of other ants.
The new queen ants live and grow in the host nest.
Vocab Match
c
e
d
b
a
Discussion Builder
1. because — Provides the reason why the ants are considered strange.
2. so — Shows the result of the host ants doing the work.
Sentence Unscramble
1. The ants have wings because they are queens.
2. I think the forest is a very beautiful place.