While animal mothers are known to sometimes dispatch of their young, very few animals will kill their own mother: the care she gives is just too valuable. But it turns out some ants can be tricked ...
TwistedSifter on MSN
Study shows that certain parasitic ant queens take over rival ant species using scent to turn a rival queen’s workers against her
It's an effective trick if you can get away with it.
Nature can get downright brutal in the most unexpected ways—especially when parasites are involved. For the well-organized society of ants, some parasites are known to topple the existing social order ...
Invading parasitic ant queens trick ant workers from different colonies into killing and dismembering their own mother, so the invader can step in and take the throne, according to a new study. The ...
Ants use 'chemical warfare' to compel host workers to kill their own queen, reveals new research. Scientists have observed for the first time an invading ant queen using a chemical spray to compel ...
Queen Iberian harvester ants are capable of storing and cloning the sperm from a cousin species, spawning hybrid offspring to take on the hard work of keeping the colony intact. Reading time 3 minutes ...
Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...
Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Scientists have confirmed a never-before-seen type of insect ...
Zombies are among us. And these tiny undead creatures are everywhere. In this excerpt from "Rise of the Zombie Bugs" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025), author Mindy Weisberger examines the very ...
Two new studies show how climate influences behavior, communication, and genome evolution – driving adaptation in a long-running conflict The battle between ant hosts and their social parasites is ...
What is myrmecophily? It represents an important interaction in nature. The word can be split into two parts: myrmex and ...
In this photo, the parasitic ant queen Lasius orientalis (left) infiltrates the nest of Lasius flavus and apporaches their queen (right). The parasite will then spray the host queen and trick the ...
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