Fighting ants

[BTechDerek]

Hi everyone,

I just went to visit a wild colony of Monomorium antarcticum in my yard and found two of the ants fighting. I am guessing the other ant must be from another colony and with the lack of food given the current cool season. One ant engaged the others mesosoma, while the engaged one curled up into a ball. I watched another ant wandering by, rolling up onto her hind legs and twitching her antennae before landing and moving closer to investigate.

The passerby touched antennae with the engaged ant giving me hope that help was on the way, but than the passerby left and I then lost track of the battle (assuming an ant was defeated).

I wonder why they were fighting and why the passerby seemed to communicate with the losing party before leaving. I feel the Keeling up onto hind legs was a sign of pheromone driven excitement.

[LasiusSapien]

Hi everyone,

I just went to visit a wild colony of Monomorium antarcticum in my yard and found two of the ants fighting. I am guessing the other ant must be from another colony and with the lack of food given the current cool season. One ant engaged the others mesosoma, while the engaged one curled up into a ball. I watched another ant wandering by, rolling up onto her hind legs and twitching her antennae before landing and moving closer to investigate.

The passerby touched antennae with the engaged ant giving me hope that help was on the way, but than the passerby left and I then lost track of the battle (assuming an ant was defeated).

I wonder why they were fighting and why the passerby seemed to communicate with the losing party before leaving. I feel the Keeling up onto hind legs was a sign of pheromone driven excitement.

read something from 1993 about the possibility they my use other ants not sure if it meat for food of like slavers lol