How Can Ants Get Lost?
WouterSeveral species of ants have impressive navigational abilities. They have a number of tools to help them find their way home. Some use visual cues, while others rely on pheromones.
The first thing ants do when they get lost is scout for trails. They will walk a circuit of trails that connect a number of food sources. They will also search for a landmark. Some ants will lay trails from their nest to their target destination.
Another way ants find their way home is through stride integration. It is a fancy process whereby ants add up vectors to find their way.
They may also use backtracking on their first foraging expeditions out of the nest. They might also try a neo-tortoise-like process where they circle in a ‘ant mill’ until they’re exhausted.
A few ants have also figured out how to use pheromones to help them find their way home. A queen ant may have thicker thoraxes than other ants.
Another navigational technique is the celestial compass. In a hot climate, the pheromones will evaporate. However, some desert ants rely on a process known as ‘path integration’. The process uses a number of ants, who lay chemical trails from the target destination to the nest.
The ant’s most important task is to find the food source and bring it back to the colony. The queen is the center of the colony. When she dies, the colony continues to carry out her duties.
