9 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

1. Cats enjoy being petted because it reminds them of being groomed by another cat.
2. Ants are one of the few insects that practice social grooming.
3. It should be possible to "pet" an ant.

Now I don't think just rubbing would work. You need to mimic what ants do.

So maybe ... like... a tiny damp cotton swab? It would be very hard to get the pressure and motion right without scaring the ant. But, I still think the facts indicate ant petting should be possible. 

Have you ever "pet" an ant?

[bmb1bee]

Grooming happens with the mouthparts and antennae, so maybe a strand of hair or something? I think I remember reading a study on that somewhere, where someone did that and the ants had a good reaction to it.

[ANTdrew]

This post gave me all the feels.

[FloridaAnts]

I tried one time with a black ant(Lasius presumably)

It gave me chills. Not sure why, but I have never tried with agressive ants, and it might have something to do the way they communicate through antennae.

[antgallery]

I once pet a infertile C. pennsylvanicus queen that was just chilling on my thumb. I think she had sorta given up on life due to her infertility though so that may be why she didn't try to run or anything.

[m99]

It's easy really first you need Rick Moranis and an attic and before you know it

[Dumpling]

ummm one time I uneccesarily stressed out my camponotus sansabeanus queen and her one worker by petting her ghastor. a week later I found her worker decapitated and her only larvae gone. I wonder why...

[futurebird]

Maybe she was always destined for a life of crime...

[ZTYguy]

I have definitely let some of my Camponotus queens. I will say I dare not with my Pogonomyrmex 

[B_rad0806]

I have actually stroked my finger on mass worker clumps of both my Camponotus fragilis colony and Veromessor andrei. They actually did nothing surprisingly.