Warring ants know their enemies

[Evil Eye]

A study of the ant species Temnothorax longispinosus has revealed that it can spot its worst enemy and react with appropriate aggression.



The ant colonies are often invaded by slavemaker ants, which steal their pupae. So when the ants spot a slavemaker, they attempt to kill it by biting and stinging.



But the insects do not waste their energy on less threatening intruders.



The results were published in the journal Ethology.



The team, led by Inon Scharf and Susanne Foitzik from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany, wanted to find out how these socially complex insects reacted to intruders of different species.



To do this, they brought ant colonies into their laboratory.



In the wild T. longispinosus inhabits mixed deciduous forests across the north-east of the US, nesting in cavities of acorns or sticks in the leaf litter.



We introduced workers of four different ant species into the ant colonies, Dr Scharf explained to BBC Nature.



The first was an unfamiliar species - one that didn't share this ant's habitat. The second was an ant from the same species and the third was a familiar competitor - a related species that did inhabit the same areas.



Finally, the ants encountered the most dangerous intruder - the slavemaker ant.



Slavemakers invade other ant colonies and steal their brood, often killing the host queen and workers in the process.



The enslaved workers emerge from the stolen host brood inside the slavemaker nest. They then carry out routine tasks for the slavemaker - tending the queen, raising young and foraging for food.



When the little T. longispinosus ants encountered a slavemaker, they attacked it - biting and stinging.



When they met less threatening opponents, they simply tried to drag them from the nest.



It is surprising - they're making a clear distinction, said Dr Scharf.



But it makes sense in terms of evolution.



They don't waste their energy responding aggressively to every single intruder. It's logical to adjust their response to the threat.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/13982886





Ever been pestered by ants? Say on a picnic?

 

[Jazzy]

Great, EE, now you've invested Off Topix!

 

[Evil Eye]

It's ok, they'll keep the other ants out!

 

[Bryd0]

I've had ants invading my house every August, when it's very warm. This happens when they enter my room via small gaps around my window and I thought this would be the last of them when the gaps were sealed by adhesive, until they started to appear from gaps from the other side of the window and that got sealed with adhesive too. Mind you, this has happened to me since 2007

 

[Evil Eye]

Don't leave them any poison?

 

[Jazzy]

I have very sandy soil where I live. Once the weather gets warm, the ants are all over the place. I hire an exterminator to spray both inside and the perimiter around my house. Been doing this for three years now and it keeps the ants OUT of my house.

 

[Bryd0]

Don't leave them any poison?

Actually, I used cinnamon powder and boiling hot water to kill them, but more keep coming

I have very sandy soil where I live. Once the weather gets warm, the ants are all over the place.

The reason why ants appear at my house is because there's a lot of grass for my back garden. The funny thing is, other people don't get ants crawling into their house :\

 

[Evil Eye]

Actually, I used cinnamon powder and boiling hot water to kill them, but more keep coming

Persistent lot... you have to have their queen assassinated.

 

[Bryd0]

Are queen ants the larger ones with wings? If so, I've killed them before.

 

[Evil Eye]

Are queen ants the larger ones with wings? If so, I've killed them before.

I think both queens and drones sprout wings in spring or something and then mate in the air... after which the drones die and the queens lay lots and lots of eggs...