and use their milk, ants breed small insects called aphids and milk them to obtain a sugary liquid Some scientists are examining how studying ants can lead to a better understanding of labor issues, social class, and the use of natural resources in human communities. Ants have had millions of years of practice in working together to survive and grow. For a colony to function successfully, ants have to cooperate, and they do so without exception. Researchers hope that gathering information about how ants live together in communities can help people learn to cooperate and compromise with each other.