Caring for the injured

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RuinedDrone
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 3:33 pm
Location: UK

Caring for the injured

Post: # 76539Post RuinedDrone
Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:51 am

I never knew this.

After acidently when replacing food injuring a worker I noticed that it was carried back to the nest by another worker, it was still moving but clearly not in a great shape. Watching an injured ant get help takes on a different meaning when the you can see it clearly streamed in to living room on the TV when you know its happening right there a few feet away.

So i was looking up what happends next and found this

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180213223403.htm#:~:text=When%20an%20ant%20is%20injured,comrade%20back%20to%20the%20nest.

Can any one shed any more light on how ants care for and treat injuries? it seems they do so very well and a significant number of injured ants will survive if they get back to the nest.

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AM1C39
Posts: 1012
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Location: Canada, ON
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Re: Caring for the injured

Post: # 76541Post AM1C39
Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:08 am

How injured was the worker you saw, some times the ants that look injured are just in shock and could recover very soon. If you injured one of your ants the best option would definitely be to get it to the nest witch is what her fellow workers would usually do.
My current colonies:
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]

RuinedDrone
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 3:33 pm
Location: UK

Re: Caring for the injured

Post: # 76542Post RuinedDrone
Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:02 pm

Sadly i think quite badly, as it got trapped.

Though i did think I killed a queen once (first queen) when she only had 2 workers and a brood of a few eggs. I was gutted but like you say left her for a while and when i looked in an hour she was back cleaning the eggs.

Tough little things arnt they :)

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AM1C39
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Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:17 pm
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Re: Caring for the injured

Post: # 76543Post AM1C39
Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:06 pm

If you dropped an ant off the Empire State Building it will just get back up and walk away. 8-)
My current colonies:
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]

RuinedDrone
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2020 3:33 pm
Location: UK

Re: Caring for the injured

Post: # 76682Post RuinedDrone
Thu Apr 15, 2021 10:42 am

AM1C39 wrote:
Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:06 pm
If you dropped an ant off the Empire State Building it will just get back up and walk away. 8-)
Youve tied it havent you!!! ;)

If you drop a cat from the 10th floor its more likley to survie than if you drop it from the 5th floor.. in theory if you drop a cat of the empire state building its got a better than average chance of survival. A human on the other hand will bounce (kind of ) while a hourse will go splat....

And now i am thinking every one is wondering why i know these things. LOL

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AM1C39
Posts: 1012
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:17 pm
Location: Canada, ON
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Re: Caring for the injured

Post: # 76684Post AM1C39
Thu Apr 15, 2021 1:55 pm

My current colonies:
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]

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