What Ants Do With Their Dead
WouterUnlike humans, ants don’t have graveyards where they bury their dead. Instead, they dump them into a heap. They do this to keep their colony functioning properly. They also may use the corpses of dead insects as a way to grow food.
In fact, some species of ants actually bury their dead. These ants have developed special undertakers to pick up the corpses of their workers and carry them to a midden.
In the scientific world, this is known as necroptosis. It’s the name of a Greek word for a dead body. The pheromones released by a dead ant are supposed to signal to other ants to alert them that the colony is in danger.
These ants also have a lot of grieving rituals. A dead ant will take two days to lay down. During that time, other ants will come out of their hiding places to collect the corpse.
These ants also use chemicals and scents to alert other ants to the presence of a dead comrade. Unlike humans, ants don’t use protective equipment, such as gloves, to deal with dead comrades. This is perhaps because ants have evolved to deal with dead bodies in ways that are appropriate for their species.
Another way ants deal with their dead is through a process called necrophoresis. It’s the scientific term for burying the dead. This involves putting the corpse of a dead ant into a pile of decaying ants. The dead ants themselves emit a chemical called oleic acid.
