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What are they doing?

Started By Queen , Oct 28 2020 5:03 PM

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6 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Queen - Posted October 28 2020 - 5:03 PM

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One ant held down the other ant by the thorax area for a long time... They didn't fight or groom. They just sat there for a very long time and once in a rare while the ant being held down is picked up or dragged for a bit. What are they doing?

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#2 Offline Devi - Posted October 28 2020 - 5:43 PM

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That is unusual. (And kinda funny) My best explanation is: ants are weird. You never know what and why they do strange things. My tetras love carrying around this one dead worker. I'll see 6 in the outworld fighting over who gets to carry it.

Edited by Devi, October 28 2020 - 5:44 PM.

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#3 Offline Spazmops - Posted October 28 2020 - 6:31 PM

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My best guess is one ant is scenting the other with pheromones. Take that with a grain of salt though, seeing as that's just a guess and I really have no idea. 


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Co-owner and founder of Mountain Myrmeculture and The Menagerie Discord Server. 

Ants I have:

1 Formica fusca group- 0 workers

1 Tetramorium immigrans colony-20 workers

1 Dorymyrmex insanus- 1 queen, used to have workers

 

1 large P. occidentalis colony- around 50 workers, plenty of brood

 

 

#4 Offline ZTYguy - Posted October 28 2020 - 8:10 PM

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I think it might be a pheromone thing as well. Did you brood boost this colony. That could be a reason.


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#5 Offline Queen - Posted October 28 2020 - 9:47 PM

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My best guess is one ant is scenting the other with pheromones. Take that with a grain of salt though, seeing as that's just a guess and I really have no idea. 

 

 

I think it might be a pheromone thing as well. Did you brood boost this colony. That could be a reason.

 

 

Yeah. So every worker that I add needs to be "scented" I suppose.


#6 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted October 29 2020 - 7:19 AM

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i have actually had ants do this before. and i did not add in workers. i agree with devi's explanation, as well as the scenting. 


That is unusual. (And kinda funny) My best explanation is: ants are weird. You never know what and why they do strange things. My tetras love carrying around this one dead worker. I'll see 6 in the outworld fighting over who gets to carry it.

same with my myrmica! you'd think that dead ant won some huge battle or something...


Edited by Ants_Dakota, October 29 2020 - 7:20 AM.

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#7 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted October 29 2020 - 7:21 AM

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It also may be a dominance competition as well.


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

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