Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

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Dazza188
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Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78411Post Dazza188
Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:06 pm

I was wondering, if you present your scent (your finger) to your ant colony when they are still in a test tube set up and easier to control (preferably a species that doesn’t bite or sting), will they get used to your scent and follow your scent, maybe follow you around the house before heading back to the nest. Essentially, can they become ’domesticated’ if you like. (Maybe not to that extent but I hope you get what I mean)

I think if this was possible I would have seen it somewhere by now, and if it is not possible or very unlikely, can someone please explain why?

Probably a dumb question but that’s what we’re here for :D

Darren

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AM1C39
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Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78419Post AM1C39
Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:06 pm

That is not possible, they would just attack you lol.
My current colonies:
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]

Dazza188
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Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78841Post Dazza188
Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:26 am

AM1C39 wrote:
Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:06 pm
That is not possible, they would just attack you lol.
One day my friend, ants will be domesticated 😁

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AM1C39
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Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78842Post AM1C39
Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:31 am

Ant keeping proves that keeping ants as pets is possible.
My current colonies:
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]

Loveday
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Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:14 pm
Location: Oregon

Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78854Post Loveday
Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:35 pm

Dazza188 wrote:
Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:26 am
AM1C39 wrote:
Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:06 pm
That is not possible, they would just attack you lol.
One day my friend, ants will be domesticated 😁
Maybe one day, although you would have to breed them in captivity (if anyone even does that with ants) and then breed them for hundreds, if not thousands of generations for the genes you want, its not impossible but I wouldn't say its very practical to happen, at least in our lifetimes

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Antloverhuman
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Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78866Post Antloverhuman
Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:59 am

but if you are the one opening the cocoon, you will be the first thing the ant would smell. just like if a newly hatched duck sees you first, it will think you are it's parent. so the ant would also think that you are the queen and will not attack you?
Ants I have-
camponotus compressus colony- the shadow warriors.
Pls just let me have a tetramorium colony

Dazza188
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Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 4:15 pm
Location: London

Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 78873Post Dazza188
Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:59 pm

Antloverhuman wrote:
Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:59 am
but if you are the one opening the cocoon, you will be the first thing the ant would smell. just like if a newly hatched duck sees you first, it will think you are it's parent. so the ant would also think that you are the queen and will not attack you?
This I what I’m thinking. Although you’ll somehow need to get the queen to get used to your scent as well. Just get all in there with them. Practically, it doesn’t seem possible unless you have a lab setup for this experiment. Maybe we can release pheromones in certain situations that ants recognise....

JustSebas17
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Location: Mexico, Tamaulipas.

Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 84069Post JustSebas17
Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:21 am

Dazza188 wrote:
Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:06 pm
I was wondering, if you present your scent (your finger) to your ant colony when they are still in a test tube set up and easier to control (preferably a species that doesn’t bite or sting), will they get used to your scent and follow your scent, maybe follow you around the house before heading back to the nest. Essentially, can they become ’domesticated’ if you like. (Maybe not to that extent but I hope you get what I mean)

I think if this was possible I would have seen it somewhere by now, and if it is not possible or very unlikely, can someone please explain why?

Probably a dumb question but that’s what we’re here for :D

Darren
It's possible in a certain way...

Taking the fact that we are build based our DNA and ants a really sensitive to smells and vibrations, it maybe be possible that the ants can recognize you, but not at all because if we use fragance and strong-smelling soaps that can cover our essence ants will no be able to smell your scent because of the strong smells.

In conclusion.
Ants can be confused when recognizing you and barely of the barely's ants will recognize you very few time and be confused at the same time, so its a 7/93 at least for me.

AntsLuxembourg
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Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 84167Post AntsLuxembourg
Mon Oct 18, 2021 6:24 am

This is an interesting question. Especially since they can learn where to find or expect food. I think in one video on AntsCanada's Youtube Channel, he mentioned that one of his colonies would go looking around the same place around the same time of the day since he was giving them food in that spot all the time.

However it is hard to tell since the ants and us are unable to communicate, as of yet, hence making it impossible to tell if they would recognize us by our smell. One thing is for sure, they will either see you as a thread or they wait for you to do the first damage on them before attacking you.
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

Currently not keeping any ants anymore.

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Antloverhuman
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Location: Delhi, India

Re: Can ants become accustomed to your scent?

Post: # 84172Post Antloverhuman
Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:42 am

What about ants that can see very well. Maybe if u give them food in front of them they will think that you give food to the colony and are important and they will protect u like they do with aphids and mealy bugs :idea:
Ants I have-
camponotus compressus colony- the shadow warriors.
Pls just let me have a tetramorium colony

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