14 replies to this topic

[Works4TheGood]

Hi All,

 

I'm just curious; Do ants ever eat their own dead?  I'm guessing not because they could ingest/contract the same disease that killed their comrade.

 

When they war with other ants, do they ever eat the losers?  It makes perfect sense to do so.

 

~Dan

[dermy]

Yes when they war they do feed the "dead losers" to their own larvae.

[Works4TheGood]

So the adult ants don't eat the losers directly, only the larvae?

[LC3]

Ants generally won't eat members of their own species but the will eat other species be it larvae or worker. Workers of ant colonies mainly require carbohydrates to keep them running while larvae need protein to grow and queens need protein to lay eggs.

[Works4TheGood]

Interesting! I did not realize that! So, since the queen needs a lot of protein to lay eggs, does the queen eat dead bugs directly?

[LC3]

Hmm I'm not too sure if the eat the dead bugs directly. They probably can eat softer parts of the insect but not the harder parts also workers will also eat protein but not a lot and they can't eat solids because their organs are in their gaster and the section connecting the gaster and the thorax is really narrow so they can only drink. that's all I know at least.

[drtrmiller]

Oops.

 

Clicked the wrong thing.

 

I thought this was a thread about cannabis.

1. Make browser font bigger
2. Make popcorn
3.  

[Gregory2455]

Just yesterday I saw Pogonomyrmex californicus larvae feeding on the severed head of a worker.

[drtrmiller]

Oh, I forgot to mention my Lasius often recycle their dead, and also feed other ants to them.

[nurbs]

 

Oops.

 

Clicked the wrong thing.

 

I thought this was a thread about cannabis.

1. Make browser font bigger
2. Make popcorn
3.  

 

 

That was actually what I read too.

[Myrmicinae]

 

 

Oops.

 

Clicked the wrong thing.

 

I thought this was a thread about cannabis.

1. Make browser font bigger
2. Make popcorn
3.  

 

 

That was actually what I read too.

 

 

Same here.  It took me a couple seconds.

[William. T]

Honeypots ants, when they war, will eat the "repletes" of even the same species. My Tetramorium SpE queens, since I put two per tube, will sometimes kill the weaker queen when there are workers and eat the corpse. I think the nutritional content is what matters. You don't what to eat a burnt out old Argentine ant worker.  

[antsinmypants]

Just yesterday I saw Pogonomyrmex californicus larvae feeding on the severed head of a worker.

 

Last week I saw one of my Pogonomyrmex nanitics processing the head of a deceased sister down in the brooding chamber. I am not sure whether she was eating it or prepping it for larval feedings or both. Nature is highly efficient, recycling nutrients so that nothing goes to waste...... either that or I am starving them to death. 

[anttics]

veromessor pergandei the Xenomorph colony. does not eat old dead ants. or ants that died in mysterious way. they do eat and feed fail callow workers, and pupa to the larva. I have videos and pics of them cannibalizing their clean fail callow sisters. ants are aware of infections and bacteria related dead. they surprise me every time

[FeedTheAnts]

I've found the severed heads of Camponotus Castenaus in the nests of Formica multiple times. I don't know if they eat the other ants or just kill them and throw them in the garbage.