|
In the worst case, yes! But in general, you can see the results of an action, so you can just repeat the things that lead to a specific result and don't repeat those attempts that do not. The more successful an action is, the more ants are motivated to do it, leading to a self-increasing cycle of repetition with more and more ants joining the cause, doing something great a single ant could never do on its own.
|
#
?
Nov 2, 2022 11:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 09:19 |
|
|
The simplest example is an ant road. An ant is hungry, walks around to look for food, it finds some honey after walking a straight line, so it goes there, finds the honey faster than ants walking a different route, so it can go back and forth faster than others, ever intensifying the pheromone track it leaves behind. More ants see that happening, more ants take the same, fast route and the track of pheromones gets more intense, motivating more and more ants to take that route, while abandoning the longer, slower route, that does not get an intense line of pheromones. More ants, more pheromones, more food being transported, more ants being fed and a new ant road has been constructed.
|
|
#
?
Nov 2, 2022 11:34
|
|
|
Kurzgesagt uploaded a new entry in their series on ants today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsbe1pD8ocE
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 23:29
|
|
|
Oh that's lovely! I loved their last series on the global colony, this one is going to be even better I think!
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2022 06:43
|
|
|
 My ants have figured out how to dig into sand. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2023 02:43
|
|
|
Don't they use their saliva or something to create a crust?
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2023 08:16
|
|
|
That is exactly why I keep my outworlds with a minimum of substrate. I had a queen just up and decant into some inappropriate tunnels once and it was a right bother.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2023 08:28
|
|
|
Bug Squash posted:That is exactly why I keep my outworlds with a minimum of substrate. I had a queen just up and decant into some inappropriate tunnels once and it was a right bother. This was my concern as well when I picked sand assuming they couldn't dig into it and I wanted something that was relatively easy to clean. But oh boy have they pulled the wool over me!
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2023 16:20
|
|
|
A lovely outworld! How's the brood coming along? What's all their individual names left to right?
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2023 23:16
|
|
|
Goatse and Gallant posted:A lovely outworld! How's the brood coming along? What's all their individual names left to right? Lots of brood.  In fact if you cross compared with some of my previous updates they've done an amazing amount of terraforming.  Sadly I think the springtails that were in the nest all died in the fridge? I'm hoping to reintroduce them by adding more to the spagnum moss that beneath the nest. I think these ants must be german because they be digging for coal. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 9, 2023 21:44
|
|
|
We have a lot of those ants around here, so.... 
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2023 00:06
|
|
|
So yeah drop everything you're doing thread, and go see the new Ant-Man movie. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2023 04:09
|
|
|
I wanted more ants in it! 
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2023 12:39
|
|
|
Goatse and Gallant posted:I wanted more ants in it! Wong portaling into the thread: "YOU WANTED MORE!?" *Portals out*  But yeah (Ant Man spoilers) Really loved the advanced Kardaschev-2 Ant Civilization; it's an idea I'm enamoured with and basically is one of my game ideas.
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2023 14:43
|
|
|
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/science/queen-ant-impostors.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Saw this and thought of this thread. Its why Raider ants get same species parasite queens . If you get stuck on the paywall read on archive.
|
|
#
?
Mar 5, 2023 00:56
|
|
|
here's a cool ant i have found. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8AtOQ9P_b8
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2023 05:01
|
|
|
Noice. In semi-related but not news, I am convincing a friend to start a termite colony since they're experiencing a termite mating season in their home.
|
|
#
?
Apr 7, 2023 20:43
|
|
|
Speaking as someone who helped look after a research colony of termites, it's a very bad idea.
|
|
#
?
Apr 7, 2023 20:48
|
|
|
Bug Squash posted:Speaking as someone who helped look after a research colony of termites, it's a very bad idea. Worse than Pharoahs?
|
|
#
?
Apr 7, 2023 21:47
|
|
|
Bug Squash posted:Speaking as someone who helped look after a research colony of termites, it's a very bad idea. Unless you hate your landlord and are moving soon. Then its a loving hilarious and good idea.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2023 01:43
|
|
|
Speaking of Pharoahs, my colony that I had sold to my Ant Dealer way back when, who promptly lost them (they escaped), found them again has apparently sold these Literal SCPs to the Literal SCP Foundation, the University of Ottawa. They're going back home! As Ottawa was where I caught them originally! I think the UoO is even even near where I used to live!  They're now the government's problem.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2023 20:20
|
|
|
Would anyone like to help identify this creature? I couldn't find an entomology thread but you folks seem knowledgeable. For scale, it's a little longer than a penny, just found it yesterday. vvv I'll try critterquest, thanks e: damp wood termite palindrome fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Apr 16, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2023 19:35
|
|
|
The antennas look like not a ant, but I'm no expert at all. Critterquest has some cool bug people too though, maybe you can ask there too, even if this thread is probably a good bet too.
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2023 19:57
|
|
|
palindrome posted:Would anyone like to help identify this creature? I couldn't find an entomology thread but you folks seem knowledgeable. For scale, it's a little longer than a penny, just found it yesterday. Looks like an earwig nymph to me? I'm no expert but it looks like a termite? Let's hope they're not eating your house. https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-hints-tips/insect-control/wood-and-termite-damage.htm https://bugguide.net/node/view/434679 https://bugguide.net/node/view/143233
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2023 19:58
|
|
|
I finally found a place that would sell me red acrylic glass without charging a million billion. These are technically product samples, but probably big enough for my purposes. Which of course are that I want an open air type ant colony in my garden. I'm pretty sure the "neon red" is not gonna fool any ants. The plan is to attach the glass to some kind of concrete with tunnels in and leave it outside for the local ants to find. I'm gonna seal it up against non-red light obviously. Questions: any tips on tunnel design? And should I leave it on the ground, window vertical or facing up and will in the sun be okay or do I need shade? 
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2023 19:03
|
|
|
palindrome posted:Would anyone like to help identify this creature? I couldn't find an entomology thread but you folks seem knowledgeable. For scale, it's a little longer than a penny, just found it yesterday. I'd say that's a termite yeah, probably a wood termite? ninja edit: I should read the whole post before answering
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2023 11:48
|
|
|
*cross post cause Im freaking out a bit* Found this guy inside my house and trying to figure out if it is a black garden ant or a carpenter ant. I killed it before I realized I should have taken more photos and put a quarter next to it, but was wondering if anyone could help me identify it? I found one upstairs my house on a mirror and another one on my first floor walking up a wall:  
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2023 20:26
|
|
|
Almost certainly a carpenter ant. It looks too big to be a garden ant.
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2023 22:32
|
|
|
that's a beautiful ant. I love the big ones.
|
|
#
?
May 24, 2023 22:49
|
|
|
Yeah, almost certainly a carpenter ant. Here's one from my garden: It doesn't mean your house is being eaten if you find them inside, but it doesn't mean it's not. Generally they have nests and satellite nests, plus like all ants they go out looking for food. I've found them in the house here and this house has had termites/carpenter ant activity in the past but we now have it covered by a pest control company that treats the outside and puts down some wood stakes around the house to look for activity. Check out some pest control company warning signs to look for (sawdust and small openings): https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/ants/carpenter-ants/ Of note: quote:Most species of carpenter ants attack wood that is or has been wet and damaged by mold. They prefer to attack wood softened by fungus, which is often associated with moisture problems, so homeowners should keep an eye out for excess moisture and soft, rotting wood around the home. Even though they first invade wet, decayed wood, they may later begin excavating tunnels through dry, undamaged wood. This house had had some damage from a roof leak prior to our moving in so a few years later we head some noise in a particular area, like a weird static sound, which was the termites chewing. Pest control service inspects and treats a few times a year but has mostly said it's impossible to keep all the pests away from the house as long as there's foliage against the outside walls. edit: I touched this one outside so it would stop for a second so I could take a picture and it made this defensive pose and then ran off: 
Rexxed fucked around with this message at 23:00 on May 24, 2023 |
|
#
?
May 24, 2023 22:54
|
|
|
I found an inch ant queen the other day at a friends house and rescued her from an overly enthusiastic Australian terrier. Let her go in my back yard so hopefully she'll make a colony! Any interesting thing about them is that the workers of Myrmecia species are able to reproduce and they've found colonies that have lost their queen that were still able to keep going for years! This being Australia they're also the most dangerous ants - more than twice as likely to cause anaphylaxis as a bee sting.
|
|
#
?
May 25, 2023 00:00
|
|
|
Ugh dangit! Alright, my basement is finished so i dont know how i would see the sawdust that is mentioned... i will keep an eye out and see if i see anymore. Thanks yall. Edit: went down to my basement and saw 5, 3 dead 2 walking on the carpet... ugh... terminex coming tomo Ant https://imgur.com/gallery/rETTLAX fyallm fucked around with this message at 03:25 on May 25, 2023 |
|
#
?
May 25, 2023 02:21
|
|
|
Is there a separate wasp thread, or is this open to all Hymenoptera discussion?
|
|
#
?
Jun 28, 2023 17:27
|
|
|
Certainly open for all discussion in this area! Hell, we even had termite chat already, this might as well be sometimes-eusocial-species-talk imo 
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2023 14:51
|
|
|
Alrighty then, I've heard (and noticed) anecdotally that yellow jackets tend to go crazy in the Fall (NE USA). Someone told me that it's because the workers typically kill the queen around then, and the lack of her pheromones makes the workers gorge themselves in frenzies before the weather kills them. Is any of this true? I know that regicide is a pretty well understood aspect of yellowjacket life cycles, but does no queen really make workers go so ballistic?
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2023 16:26
|
|
|
Yellow jacket behaviour in Autumn has a lot of things feeding into it. A wasp professor described it to me as a mix of "dementia" and drunkenness from fermented fruit.
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2023 19:35
|
|
|
DildenAnders posted:Alrighty then, I may be less of an expert at that last, but at least, to my knowledge, the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, the German wasp, Vespula germanica, and most real wasps, Vespinae, rarely actively kill their queen by force, rather than that she dies naturally from exhaustion and her body being mostly worn out in general, or she's left alone, either actively or because the workers just die off without replacement, as she stopped producing eggs and the workers and especially the young virgin queens ate those left. There is, however, for wasps as well as bees, the Battle of the Drones, where workers and soldiers kill drones that haven't left the nest after nuptial flights, either due to missing it, being too young, failing to fly, not feeling the weather or just being dorks. Either way, for any hymenoptera, in fact for pretty much any eusocial species that is relying on pheromones and the sense of smell, the lack of a queen or otherwise offspring producing individual, is a big deal. Even for ancient ant species, like primal ants in Australia that never developed a biological difference between castes and all workers can also be queens, lacking the proper pheromones kicks off a game of thrones styled race to the throne for those queens that feel entitled and manage to organize a faction that supports her. Once someone is coronated, those who supported her are rewarded, those who opposed her, if still alive, are either killed, or at least have to eat their own eggs and babies. This is all coordinated via smell and pheromones or the lack of them. Ants, bees and wasps all have the same ancestors and these are very old, primal functions, so in that sense, it's entirely biological possible if not even likely for the lack of a queen leads to a wasp frenzy. I don't know if it's true, it seems rather unlikely, simply as there is no obvious biological advantage for them to do that, other than provoking their own dead, which in regard to the weather doing so for sure anyways, seems redundant. The only thing I could imagine is that queen less wasps are more than willing to kill other wasp workers and especially virgin queens they encounter, to eliminate possible contenders for their own virgin queens in the next spring. Bug Squash posted:Yellow jacket behaviour in Autumn has a lot of things feeding into it. A wasp professor described it to me as a mix of "dementia" and drunkenness from fermented fruit. That, in fact, is entirely true. Various animals get crazy drunk and even want and plan for it doing so, even bears and wolves do this sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Jul 3, 2023 19:38
|
|
|
It's nuptial season time for the third time in this thread, for the approx 250 millionth time in total!. Everyone in Europe, North America and most parts of northern Asia can keep their antenna out to see all the virgin ant queens and drones flying around, loving and burrowing new nests! The exact day of a given region will be synchronized for all swarms and colonies by weather conditions, fleeting pheromones and various mechanisms we don't yet understand, so once you see the first winged ants, you probably are going to see many, many, many more at that day, too!, You can easily identify both queens and drones by looking weird. They are oversized ants in anatomy, having long and wide wings they don't seem to be very agile with and, in general, they just look like weird insects you don't usually see. I usually notice them on the ground nearby, simply because they often don't look like the usual insects you see around and once a closer look is taken, it's obvious it's a weird looking ant with wings! Now is a great time to get started with your own ant colony in your garden, a spot of grass nearby, or even in at home in a formicarium of whatever kind you may choose! Of course, don't just go out and collect anything if you don't have a plan and know what to do, be gentle to nature and your ant friends. This is the most difficult and dangerous time in their lives, most will not make it, but they are a super cool sight to behold and to spend time observing them planning their upcoming kingdoms!
|
|
#
?
Jul 5, 2023 14:57
|
|
|
Jesus, it's already that time! That made me finish up my project! Two nests, one dug by me (shallow one), one enthusiastically dug by my 5 year old. The plan is to place them in the garden and introduce a no-longer-virgin-queen to each of them, probably with a bit of honey or sugar inside. I don't know if I should also cover them or dig the blocks into the ground for the best results? Also, the current residents are farming on my newish apple tree. I am not particularly into that location, go to some of my wonderful weeds instead please. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2023 16:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 09:19 |
|
|
That looks great! I'm a big fan of concrete nests like that! You don't really need to dig them in, but I would highly recommend not to use those for the freshly hosed queen. They want something much, much, much smaller, something that has no space where dangerous scary things might lurk, something they barely fit in and have entire control over, like a test tube or something. Only once she has the first babbies around that can be brave and scout around, then she will want to move into a an actual nest. It can be quite a while! Depending on the species and how willing they are to move - some are very lazy and slow in that regard - they can easily stay up to a year in a tiny tiny test tube, not bothering to move into a really nice, big nest. So maybe you offer the queen a nice little test tube for now, I'm sure you know the kind of test tube setup I mean with water in the back and sealed with cotton and stuff, and place it nearby those nests. Or you generally wait and have the queen inside with you until she gets her first babbies and only bring her outside with the nests once she's ready to move. Usually freshly mated queens enjoy chilling in a cupboard or drawer for months, completely sealed off the environment until she feels ready to tackle the scary and dangerous outside world.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2023 12:22
|
|