When we think of ants, we do not appraise the idea of a being capable of enjoying culture as we do. Ants are not able to distinguish a fine piece of art, they do not sense the enjoyment of appreciating a sculpture, so… why do they react to our music?
Like many other insects, ants are capable to hear stuff. Although hearing to them possess a different meaning than to us (because they do not have ears), they are still able to listen to music.
This raises a whole lot of questions regarding how ants perceive music, and how they enjoy it when compared to humans. In this article we are going to approach many of those questions, so keep scrolling for more.
Do Ants Respond to Music?
The frequencies and sounds present in music have a certain influence on ants’ behavior. Studies have shown that ants can respond actively to certain rhythms and beats. When ants were exposed to music it was possible to conclude that it had a serious influence on the performance and coordination of their work.
It was also concluded that ants who were listening to music with higher decibels were the most affected, regarding ants who worked with lower decibels. The higher decibel control group would dig faster than the ones with lower decibels.
What Music Do Ants Like?
According to the studies done so far, it was possible to conclude that ants react better to music that has a faster pace and rhythm. These types of sounds stimulate positively and actively ants behavior.
It’s not an exact science, but by these results, we can guess that they might favor happier and vibrant tunes rather than calm and depressing ones. Since we cannot survey some ants, a full study on ants’ music taste might be needed to conclude this answer with certainty.
Do Ants Like Metal Music?
Even if ants don’t like metal music, they sure react strongly to it and that’s a positive sign towards a yes answer. Ants who listen to metal music are compelled to dig faster and act faster when doing chores. If this is not a yes, then I don’t know what might be.
Warning: While you are listening to some music, ants can invade your PC, do this to keep them away. 💻😱😱😱
Are Ants Noise Sensitive?
To simplify this question, we can conclude that most of the ants can react to the vibrations present in music noise, but not all of them. Ants who are not accustomed to different sound noises and vibrations may take some time to adjust to their routine.
After a while it’s just something normal to some of them, others still continue to react heavily to different sound noises and frequencies.
Ants Like Loud Noises?
Loud noises have certainly a great impact on ants’ behavior, this can be in the form of stimulation or panic. While some ants feel compelled to carry on in haste with loud noises, others seem to be panicked by it.
The vibration caused by the loud noises can affect ants in a negative way, making them confused and disorientated. Depending on what they are working on, it can be critical. Not all ants species react the same way to loud noises.
Ants that live in trees have high control of themselves when facing random loud noises and different vibrations. On the other hand, ants who live on ground colonies start to panic when something too violent shakes their habitat. This may be present in a loud sound and the violent vibration it produces.
Does Sound Affect Ants?
Yes, sounds can affect ants in a positive or negative way. Some ants feel more compelled to react to certain sounds than others. When an ant species is not prepared to deal with a random sound, it can become confusing and panic over it.
This can be critical if the colony is in the early stages of its creation. The queen may become stressed and it will influence by reducing the egg production. Ants who take care of eggs may also become disturbed by different sounds and fail at their task.
Worker ants may become confused and lost, leading to a delay in collecting provisions for the colony and defensive ants may not be able to defend themselves due to the fact they are confused by a random sound.
Some sounds can really disturb a whole colony, but if they are not prolonged too much, the colony activity resumes briefly.
Are There Sounds Ants Don’t Like?
Usually, ants don’t like high wave ultrasonic sounds. While humans can’t hear them, some ultrasonic sound waves are able to deter a good percentage of ants. Thanks to this fact, you have ultrasonic pest repellent devices, that do precisely that.
Ultrasonic pest repellent devices are capable of producing sounds that will repel even the most devious of ants. It can have a high percentage of effectiveness when compared to other sounds.
Can Ants Listen?
Although ants do not possess ears, they can indeed listen (just not the same way as humans do). Ants listen by the resonance caused in their bodies by certain sounds or frequencies.
Music and other sounds are able to resonate with ants. This will make them listen to the environment surrounding them, and they can react to it too.
What Frequency Can Ants Hear?
Ants are able to listen in the frequency range of around 1kHz. Individual ants can produce sounds that can be heard very distinctly. They can also produce different sounds for different types of situations.
Can Ants Hear Humans Talk?
Since ants listen within the range spectrum of 1kHz and the human voice lies in the range of 100-300 Hz, it is not possible for them to hear us. You can scream at them, louder as you can and still it has no effect on ants.
However, if you really want them to hear a human voice there is a smart way of doing it. Ants are able to listen to our resonance if it is recorded and reproduced in their frequency to them. Just grab your phone and have a blast playing some tunes on a mobile speaker to any ant that comes nearby.
Do Ants Have a Language?
Ants do have their own language, they usually communicate with other ants through chemical signals like pheromones, but while that’s a powerful way to convey important information, it’s not the only way ants talk.
They can produce several sounds to other ants rapidly identify their message, different sounds will have different contexts.
Do Ants Have Voice?
Every ant species can communicate with each other through voice, here’s how they do it. Ants chirp to each other by rubbing two hard parts of their abdomens together, different species can use these scraping sounds for things like getting organized, communicating with mates, and calling for help.
It is a great way to have the fastest speech possible, ants can’t waste a lot of time chit-chatting, so this method is perfect for their voice.
Is It a Good Idea to Play Music for Ants?
Depending on the context, playing music for ants might be beneficial or it can be a total disaster. If you have an ant colony and just want to introduce some of your favorite tunes, as long as you keep it moderate, they will not get disturbed by it.
If you have an ant infestation and want to give them a full blast, it will probably be efficient if it meets the right criteria. Or, it can become a whole disaster if your neighbors don’t find it too amusing.
The call is on you on this one!
Conclusion
While ants can enjoy some good classical music, they will not be able to distinguish it from anything else. This will not make them the best music expert out there, but it can be an inspiration if you want to evaluate a tune for an uplifting effect or the complete way around.
