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Army ants as research and collection tools.

Adrian A Smith¹, Kevin L Haight

¹School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4501 USA. Adrian.Smith@asu.edu

Journal of Insect Science (Online)

|March 23, 2010

Summary

Army ants can be used to collect entire ant colonies for research. This study shows how the southwestern desert ant, Aphaenogaster cockerelli, evacuates its nest when attacked by Newamyrmex nigrescens army ants.

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Area of Science:

Myrmecology
Behavioral Ecology
Insect Social Behavior

Background:

Ant colonies often evacuate nests when threatened by predators.
This evacuation behavior is a well-documented but underutilized research method.
Army ants (Newamyrmex nigrescens) are effective predators of other ant species.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the nest evacuation response of Aphaenogaster cockerelli to army ant raids.
To evaluate the potential of using army ant raids as a tool for collecting intact ant colonies.
To discuss the applicability of this method for ecological research.

Main Methods:

Observing the response of Aphaenogaster cockerelli colonies to raids by Newamyrmex nigrescens.
Documenting the process of nest evacuation by Aphaenogaster cockerelli.
Assessing the feasibility of collecting mature Aphaenogaster cockerelli colonies using this method.

Main Results:

Aphaenogaster cockerelli colonies exhibit a clear evacuation response when raided by Newamyrmex nigrescens.
Army ant raids provide an effective means to collect mature Aphaenogaster cockerelli colonies.
The evacuation behavior facilitates the collection of undisturbed colonies.

Conclusions:

Army ant raids represent a novel and efficient method for collecting intact ant colonies.
This technique has significant potential for advancing research in myrmecology and behavioral ecology.
Further research can leverage this method to study ant colony dynamics and social structures.

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