Do Ants Know If Their Mates Are Missing

leon · #1 20-12-2011, 06:46 AM

Hi Guys, now this is probably going to sound a bit silly, but what the heck.

Whilst traveling we, Alice and I came across literally thousands of ant nests with varying number of ants occupying each nest/mound.

It got me thinking about the little critters, and i wondered if they keep count of their members, so to speak.

So if they, the ants were attracted to my caravan and i sprayed a few hundred of them, would the rest of the colony know if they were missing.

Would they have a roll call to some extent and say, well where is John, Peter, and Sally, bugger, Mary is not here as well.

Or do they just not care or notice.

Leon

koputai (Jason) · #2 20-12-2011, 08:41 AM

I often wonder the same about various animals Leon. A few weeks ago I saw a Cockatoo get run over by a car, and its mate came flying down and started walking around it, checking it, all in the middle of a busy Sydney arterial road. It was a sad sight.

Octane (Humayun) · #3 20-12-2011, 08:47 AM

We don't give them the credit they deserve.

Ants are one of the most intelligent species.

I saw a documentary on elephants which showed them weeping when they came across skeletons of other elephants. They had a ritual whereby they'd pick the bones up with their trunks and twirl them towards their mouths, set them down again, and then the next elephant did the same thing.

Another video I saw on YouTube showed two cats, one of which was run over in a parking lot. The one left alive was pawing all over it, almost like as if it was trying to resuscitate it, and just didn't leave its mate's side. Brought tears to my eyes.

I've found when I go on my daily run up in the mountain trail behind my place that I try to jump over any ants nests. I do the same when walking on the pavement; I keep a look out. I hate the thought of unnecessarily killing an innocent creature.

In summary, I'm sure they do miss their loved ones.

H

pgc hunter · #4 20-12-2011, 09:01 AM

I know that when I squish a few of the bloody things, their comrades go mental.

Baddad (Marty) · #5 20-12-2011, 09:24 AM

Hi Leon,
Ants are a very special species of the animal world.
They do not have a brain. They have developed behaviour patterns to basically survive. Or live. Without a complex brain they can not take a roll call.
However: Now this may sound as if they do have a brain but they react to chemicals excreted from each other.
An ant senses a threat, the alarm pheromone is excreted.
A scout finds a large food source, This is communicated.
Squash an ant and the surviving ants go into a frenzy. The threat pheromone is present and released from the squashed ant.

The following applies more to answering your question Leon:

When ants travel to a food source and more than 10% do not return. They often abandon that supply.

Here's another good one.

Many insecticides have a repelling affect to ants. Consequently having the desired effect. To get rid of the ants. Some insecticide chemicals are not detectable by ants. Lethal to them. Having been developed to kill off an entire nest. (re: Fire Ants)

Spraying a patch of ground with a non repellant insecticide, where ants are tracking in file has little or no affect at first. The ants will continue to track across the treated area for some time. Of-course the ants die later.
After a few days the trail changes. a distinct 'dogleg' in the trail shape happens. The ants avoid the treated patch. They go right around the treated area.

Makes you think. I view an ant colony as one animal that has thousands of detachable limbs. Each one contributes to the well-being and survival of the colony as a whole. Even if it means its own demise.

My short answer Leon, I really don't know.

Cheers

Ric · #6 20-12-2011, 12:46 PM

It would not surprise me in the least Leon.

Nightshift · #7 20-12-2011, 12:54 PM

I never kill 'em, I just tap them with my finger, it gives them a bloody big headache and they walk in circles for a little while and then bugger off, my reasoning behind this is that they will go back to the nest and tell the rest of them never to go anywhere near that guy or his house, coz it hurts. Dont think it works but it sure is worth the try.

multiweb (Marc) · #8 20-12-2011, 01:45 PM

Then I must be on their FBI most wanted list because I killed heaps of them in the past few weeks.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #9 20-12-2011, 03:07 PM

I watched a fascinating Doco on PayTV about 3 weeks ago that discussed this exact topic.

Through research and much study of ant breeds all over the world they have discovered that Ants are like programmed robots. Each one has a job to do in life and that is all.
They are not effected emotionally by the death of a fellow ant. All they care about is there own task in life to the exclusion of everything else.
Yet they work like a finely tuned and designed clock. Each part working together to achieve the same goal: to serve the queen, even though they don't know why.

I wish I could remember the name of the Doco as it was very enlightning.
And the quality of the footage was amazing.

So, to answer Leon's question, it appears not. They just don't care about others. Just their Queen and their own mission to do their job for her.

acropolite (Phil) · #10 20-12-2011, 03:26 PM

Hopefully those tender souls who don't hurt the humble ant will forgive me, but I kill them by the hundreds if not thousands, each summer they invade our house and unless I control them they get in the food etc, even bite when they crawl on to you.

The bit about killing 10% and them not coming back makes sense, I've noticed that if I despatch enough of them the hoard stops coming.

For the "rusted on" ant lover, I'd suggest coming to Tasmania and experiencing the bite of the nastiest insect on the planet, the Jack Jumper. These nasty little buggers will detour from metres away just to bite you, sometimes multiple times before being despatched.

Octane (Humayun) · #11 20-12-2011, 03:40 PM

Oh, don't get me wrong -- I've been housekeeping for a friend when the ants made a beeline for the cat food. Out came the AntRid.

But, outside, is a different story.

H

DavidU (Dave) · #12 20-12-2011, 03:43 PM

Murderer LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Octane

Oh, don't get me wrong -- I've been housekeeping for a friend when theants made a beeline for the cat food. Out came the AntRid.

But, outside, is a different story.

H

leon · #13 20-12-2011, 03:51 PM

Thanks for your replies, I did expect that they work in a controlled sort of fashion, a bit robotic so to speak, but was just curious what others thought on the subject.

Leon

Octane (Humayun) · #14 20-12-2011, 04:03 PM

:cryface:

H

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidU

Murderer LOL

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #15 20-12-2011, 04:10 PM

I have about a gazillion ants in my Vege garden.
But that is good.
Ants very rarely eat vegetation but a single nest of common black ants will kill thousands of other insects each day!

I don't use pesticides on my veges. I use companion planting and good insects like the ants, spiders, Lacewings, Lady Bugs, Hover flies and wasps

traveller (Bo) · #16 20-12-2011, 04:32 PM

To answer your question Leon, you need to tune to ABC's Minuscle.
My kids love it, even I get a good chuckle

Bo

Rick Petrie · #17 20-12-2011, 04:50 PM

I know ants can be a big pest around the house, but without them, the Earth would be a messy place to live. They clean up a lot of dead carcasses, together with human food waste (crumbs, meat, etc) Very socialist system of organisation to survive. Yep saw that doco recently and it was well done.

multiweb (Marc) · #18 20-12-2011, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

I don't use pesticides on my veges. I use companion planting and good insects like the ants, spiders, Lacewings, Lady Bugs, Hover flies and wasps

I think tomatoes must be a bug magnet but bugs hate chillis. So one tomato, one chilly, one tomato, etc... and you end up with nearly zero bugs on them and a tasty taco in the end

Baddad (Marty) · #19 20-12-2011, 05:22 PM

Hi Marc,& Ballarat D, and Phil,

Onions and garlic has a similar affect as chilli does on bugs.

Ants are not necessarily always wanted in the vege garden. Ants milk aphids. They also protect the aphids. Aphids suck the life fluids from the plants.

Planting rosemary and Pyrethrin Daisy around will keep the bugs away.
AND mosquitoes at night. I don't know of any bugs that like those plants.
Ideal to have them growing around the home observatory.
Ants will vacate as well. Phil, that may be a solution for your problem if you want to try.

Pyrethrin daisy can be rubbed onto your skin to repel mossies. It breaks down within 4 hours and toxicity is minimal if any at all.

Cheers

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #20 20-12-2011, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baddad

. . . & Ballarat D, . .

Marty, my name is Ken. It's written there to use

I mention that I use the ants in my garden and all of a sudden Leon's thread turns into 'Burkes Backyard' gardening tips

But for those that offered their tips, thank you, but I already companion plant with Capsicum, Chili, Basil, and Onion between the plants they help the most, and then spread throughout and around the whole garden are the Marigolds

If I could keep the dogs away from the Blue-Tongues I would have one or two of them in there as well to keep the snails down.

Anyway, back to Leon's query