Wesley Miller, age 8, of Portage, Ind.,for his question:

HOW MUCH WEIGHT CAN A LITTLE ANT CARRY?

If a big man were as strong as a little ant, he could lift up a grown elephant and carry it along on his back. This sounds ridiculous, but most insects are very strong for their size. There are many different ants in the world, and some types seem to be stronger than others. Some lift 20 or 30 times their own weight every day  with no trouble at all.

The little brown harvester ant is one of the champs. During her daily duties she is supposed to shift dirt and stones to keep the family nest in shape.

Often she lifts and carries a stone that weighs 50 times more than she does. However, the champion weight lifters of the insect world seem to be the beetles. Some beetles can lift 850 times their own weight. If a man were this strong, he could lift the weight of 17 bulky elephants.