[lbo-talk] Insect Imperialism! ;>

Chris Doss lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com
Tue Apr 26 11:06:13 PDT 2005


SLAVERY A biological, not a cultural trait, that is wide-spread among ants. Most ant battles you see are actually slave raids. Ant slavery is unique because ant slavery is usually between species, unlike human slavery.

Slave making ants

Capture larvae and pupae of another species. Carry them back to there own nest where: They acquire the nest odor. Develop into adults and act as workers for their new colony. Some slave making ant species are incapable of surviving without slave workers. They are no longer able to collect food or feed their immatures or themselves.

WARFARE Embodies restless aggression, territorial conquest, and genocidal annihilation of neighboring colonies. Ants war with their own and other species and use a variety of tactics.

Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta vs. the Woodland Ant, Pheidole dentata

The fire ants have colonies hundred times larger than the woodland ant and whenever they discover a woodland ant colony they completely destroy it. Yet woodland ant colonies are abundant around fire ants. Whenever, a woodland worker discovers a fire ant scout soldiers are so rapidly deployed that the scout rarely makes it back to its colony. The soldiers do not sting or spray poisons like many ants but rely on large mandibles to cut their opponents into pieces. If despite this the woodland nest is discovered the soldiers fall back to form a short perimeter around the nest which keeps the invading fire ants at bay temporarily. The colony evacuates the nest and after the battle and the fire ants have departed, they will return and reclaim their nest.

http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/entomology/topics/societies.htm

Nu, zayats, pogodi!

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