Inspired by others...

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:56 pm

I decided to do a few ant images of my own. Seems they were moving quite a few casualties about.

EOS 20D
Manual mode, hand held
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Canon 220EX ETTL Speedlite, diffused
PP: Photo Imapct 6

Looked aroud to see where the dead ones were being taken from and to where but among the leaf litter and other debries I could not decern the origin or final destination. From what I gather, ants will move the sick and diseased away from the colony to keep a healthy environment. Makes me wonder about what was seen in the Cordyceps video on "You Tube"

acerola · Post by **acerola** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:53 am

Interesting shots, Ken. They are not the dead ants. The ants moving their sister this way, when they leave one place and go to the other. I take similar pictures last spring from red wood ants. They have a winter nest, and they go back to their summer place in the spring.
I also watched them at home. I have a little ant colony. They live in test tubes. I have to add new tubes with water in it, when the old ones go dry. When I add the new tubes sometimes they move on to it right away. I saw how it happen. Ants from the new place go to the old place, grab one ant by its jaw and shake it to fore and back. the grabbed ant go to this hunched position and the other carry it to the new place. When they arrive it simply put the companion down and go back to the old place for another ant. I did not see how the queen was moved, but maybe she was just dragged to the new place.

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:05 am

Interesting behavior. But why do they carry each other? To halve the traffic?

acerola · Post by **acerola** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:33 am

I don't know exactly. It must part of their common ant logic. The moving was performed only by one or two ants at home, but the distance of the tubes was just 10 cm apart.
They just have tot tell each other that "we are moving to a new place". I think this is the way. Other ants might do it other way. I speak about Formica species. Formica rufa and Formica rufibarbis.
I don't know the American species, but I think the ants are also Formicas on Ken's pictures.

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 4:16 pm

That is so cool

I thought they were moving dead ants. I did notice two separate areas which had mounds. Several mounds were up hill from where I took these photos and the ants were coming down from there. So I will assume that the lower area, where I shot these, was to be the "summer condo." Fascinating!