Classes

• African driver ants come in three classes. The most vicious class is the sterile worker. This is a female ant and they make up the bulk of the colony. Another class in this species is the male driver ant, also known as drones, sausage ants or sausage flies. They are larger than the worker ants, and have furry heads and large wings. These ants are aggressive on sight, but are harmless and much fewer in number than the worker ants. While flying, they are also attracted to lights in a house. The queen is in a class by herself. She is the biggest ant in the world, but also blind, wingless and clumsy. The queen can lay 100,000 eggs in a day, according to Eco Travel Africa.
  
  

Habitat and Characteristics

• This species of driver ant is reddish-brown, and is found throughout southern Africa. A worker ant can grow up to 8 mm, the sausage ant up to 30 mm and the queen as large as 50 mm. The ants are useful in controlling pests because they feed on caterpillars, cutworms, beetles and other small insects.
  
  

Movement

• Driver ants move in large numbers from one nest to the other. These slow-moving ants only move a few meters an hour, which gives people and animals sufficient time to get out of their way. They live underground, and only show themselves when on the move. The ants do not like to move in direct sunlight, so they often move on overcast days.
  
  

The Attack

• The African driver ant is an aggressive insect. These ants climb into trees and shrubs to systematically search for prey. The ants have powerful jaws used to crush, cut and bite. The jaws are scissor-like and referred to as mandibles. These ants do not use their jaws to eat, and can only swallow liquids. Driver ants will attack snakes, birds, mammals and humans that get in their way.