Ants?

Zip · 29 Nov 2007 at 13:13

We have a huge infestation of ants eating all our food in the cupboard at the moment

So Ive been watching them all and occasionally feeding them at the start of there trail out side to keep them out for a bit.

But something ive always observed with ants is that they almost always carry the dead or injured ants back with them. Its kind of like they have a rule of leave no ant behind.
Why do they do this? Do they east the dead ones and look after the injured ones some how?
Ive always wondered why they do it, especially when they could get much more food them selfs compared to what they would get off the dead ants.

Oh and our ants are getting smarter :eek:

I put the honey jar in a bowl of shallow water to stop them getting stuck on it and eating it but they have worked out if they drink the water they can cross and get to the honey :eek:

I looked the other day and the water was almost completely empty with Hundreds of ants around the site drinking out of it :eek:

Ants Rock

Zip · 29 Nov 2007 at 13:17

Emlyn_Dewar said:
What kind of ants are they? I fear all ants after tales of evil fire ants and murder.

Those tiny little ones

They are about 2 or 3 millimetres long

Zip · 29 Nov 2007 at 13:29

Emlyn_Dewar said:
I say befriend them and live in peace with one another.

I do

Im always pulling them out of water or food they get stuck in

Then mum goes and wipes them up when she sees them

Zip · 29 Nov 2007 at 14:07

Mat said:
I think they take their dead back to their 'larders' where the fungus that they eat grows on the dead bodies and decomposing leaf litter etc that they bring in.

What Awsome little beasts :cool:

Zip · 29 Nov 2007 at 14:18

neil3k said:
How did your interview go zip ?

Thanks for asking

I think it went pretty well.

They have a few more to go before they let me know if i got it or not, Ill be working 10-12 hour shifts and have free training, Free Work cloths/boots/equipment and make around $800-$1200aud a week if i get it

They sound like a nice bunch of people so i hope i got it

Zip · 29 Nov 2007 at 15:44

Mr-White said:
MW

Its definitely no that.

They arnt sick or something like that, they have just been killed or injured from moving jars and boxes and cans of food.

Zip · 17 Dec 2007 at 10:13

They are back

This time i had Jim beam in the cupboard which got me thinking "I wonder if ants get drunk"

So ive put some out in a bottle cap to see if they drink it

I spilt a little bit and the ants that it hit looked dead, but then i took them out of the puddle and after about 5 minutes they had dryed out and still not moving.

The about 2 or 3 minutes later i noticed lots of ants around them trying to get them on there feet, And sure enough the ones i though were dead are alive, They just cant get stand up with out help