How Can Ants Join Other Colonies?
WouterUnlike humans, ants can join other colonies, and ants from different species have a common “hive mind”. They have the ability to work together to solve problems. Some ants also use multiple communication methods.
Workers lay down pheromones to signal to other workers where to find food. They follow the pheromone trail using their antennae. Upon finding food, they carry it back to the nest. This process may take a long time.
Queens, meanwhile, lay eggs and harvest sperm cells for their queens. The queens also help in expanding the colony’s territory. Usually, the queens are unrelated to one another.
Some ant species are invasive, and they will greet all other ants as members of their own colony. When ants are placed together, they will live in amicable harmony. The presence of an invasive species can be harmful to the colony’s survival.
In addition to their chemical signal, some ants use sound and touch to communicate. They also use pheromones to indicate danger. If ants perceive a threat, they will form an organized response, leading to a battle.
In order to join another colony, ants have to find a colony of the same species. They may also have to find another colony of the same species, but it is less likely.
The majority of species of ants are hive-minded. The “hive mind” is an instinctive trait, wherein ants will instinctively work together for the colony. Among these instincts are the ability to sense each other’s pheromones and the ability to recognize each other’s colony.
