Hi, my name’s Jordan Dean, and in this episode, we’re going to be looking at one of the
most widely distributed and diverse ants on the planet. They’re known as Sugar Ants…
Sugar Ants cover the genus “Camponotus”, a large genus, comprised of around a thousand-different
species, and they can be found worldwide, within forests, grasslands, mountains, and
even deserts too. Like most ants, Sugar ants typically nest
underground, with some species living in rotting wood, and others, up in the trees, within
hollow branches, or clusters of leaves which have been stitched together to form a shelter,
much like green tree ants do. Because they’re so globally ubiquitous and
varied, they go by many common names. Often called “Carpenter Ants” after the wood
dwelling species. Which can carve out nesting chambers with the use of their powerful mandibles.
Here in Australia, they’re mostly referred to as “Sugar Ants” for their love of sweet
foods, like tree sap, nectar and honeydew excreted from sap sucking insects, like these
little leafhoppers here. The two have a mutualistic relationship. The leafhoppers offer the ants
nutritious honeydew, and in return, the ants provide these little bugs protection from
predators.
Sugar ants can often be quite distinctive
for their large polymorphic appearance. The workers vary in size and shape, often to fulfil
a certain role within their colony. Minors workers are small and slender and are usually
the ones doing the foraging, tending of the brood and caring of the queen.
While the majors are often much larger and stockier. See how they have bigger heads in
proportion to their bodies? These large heads are full of muscle, allowing them to deliver
powerful bites. Great for crushing up and carrying food back to the nest, and defending
the colony from predators. Typically, they’re seen sitting by the entrances of their nests
acting like doorkeepers. Only moving to let fellow colony members pass by.
On top of their powerful bites, many Sugar ants possess another lethal ability. When
dealing with predators or prey, the ants will grip onto them and start curling up their
bodies, as if they’re trying to sting them like a Bull ant would. But these ants don’t
have stingers. What they do instead, is excrete a deadly liquid. See that little white blob
coming out of this ant’s abdomen? This stuff is a kind of formic acid. They use this chemical
weapon as a means of stunning and subduing their prey
and predators alike. In this case, they target the vulnerable leg joints of this helpless
Bull ant.
Sugar ants navigate as most do, by following
pheromone trails laid down by their fellow colony members. But there’re some species
that can perform a rather unique trait among ants. Native to Australia, and one of the
most widely distributed, is the Banded Sugar ant.
When foraging, these ants use social techniques which often make them the first ants to a
source of food. See how these two ants run along together, almost like they’re playing
follow the leader? Well they are. This process is known as tandem running, which involves
teaching and social learning. The leader ants are usually the most skilled
of foragers, often having prior knowledge of the best sites to explore. Think of them
as the old wise ants educating the youngers on how things are done. The leader runs rapidly
in a short burst, and then pauses, waiting until she feels a tap from her follower, and
then she continues on. Stopping and starting frequently to make sure her follower is still
on her trail.
These tandem runs, usually consist of a couple
of ants, but on occasion, there can be several workers following along, each stopping and
waiting for their trailers to catch up. This unique process of communication greatly
benefits the ants’ foraging capabilities. During a tandem run, the followers can discover
food much faster compared to just foraging on their own.
And the added presence of these ants will ensure that their colony is the one controlling the site.
Occasionally, some ants can be a little stubborn in being recruited. So occasionally, the leaders
will attempt to pull others along for encouragement.
Sometimes even resorting to completely picking
them up and carrying them if they continue to resist.
In times of plenty, Sugar ants will stock up on food and water by filling the stomachs
of certain colony members. These ants become known as repletes and are used as living storage
vessels. When there’s little food to be found above ground, due to times of drought
or cold weather, to get a feed, the workers simply stroke the antennae of the repletes,
causing them to regurgitate some of their stores.
Some Sugar ants are more specialised in this method than others. These arid dwelling species
are nicknamed, “Honeypot ants” for their ability to distend their gasters to an enormous
size. So large in fact, that they become unable to move on their own. Often just hanging motionlessly
from the ceilings deep within their nests.
Many Sugar Ants are highly competitive for
territory and resources. Often seen plugging the nest entrances of other ant colonies
And raiding them if given the chance.
Even Bull ants have to be wary of these guys.
They’re larger and more deadly, but fear the smaller ants for their chemical weaponry,
and oft times, their superior numbers too.
So, regularly, they’ll commit several ants
to guard their nest entrances in order keep these dangerous intruders at bay.
There are some ants that can rival them, however. Meat ants are equally as competitive. Their
colonies can reach massive scales, with hundreds of thousands of individuals, and they often
live right alongside Sugar ants. Despite this, the two are usually able coexist as most Sugar
Ants are nocturnal, whilst Meat ants are diurnal. Although, in their active hours, they’ll
constantly plug each other’s nest entrances to try and gain an edge on their competition.
Because of their large size, Sugar ants are easily spotted by predators and make for a
temping snack. Regularly, they’re targeted by birds...
spiders...
and other insects too.
Like this hungry praying mantis.
Other ants will willingly take on the weak or injured
too. Here you can see just how large Sugar ants can be in comparison to the more common
sized species.
Nuptial flights are especially perilous for
Sugar ants as the female alates are often huge and cumbersome. Making them easy prey.
Birds, like this magpie, will often sit by the entrances of their nests and pick them
off as soon as they emerge.
If the female alates are lucky enough to survives predation and find a mate, they’ll then
dig themselves out a new home. A small chamber in which they’ll lay their eggs and tend
to them until they develop into workers.
Here’s a look inside the nests of some young
queens who’ve just recently made it to this stage. Their first workers are very small
and skittish, and highly protective of them and their developing brood.
You may notice them tending to these little brown casings here. These are known as cocoons.
They’re comprised of silk which the larvae expel from special glands near their mouths.
So the larvae spin themselves up in this silk, much like a caterpillar does when its ready
to metamorphose into its pupal stage.
Some other ants spin cocoons too, like Bull ants...
and Green Headed ants. However, most leave their brood bare. Like Big-headed ants...
Rainbow ants...
and Argentine Ants too. The purpose of spinning cocoons is still not fully known.
It’s suggested that they assist in keeping the developing brood within clean, and protect
them harmful bugs, bacteria, fungi and pathogens.
Once the brood inside has fully developed,
they’ll then begin emerging. They're cable of escaping the cocoons on their own, but
it can be a little tricky at times, so the workers will often try and help out.
Most of these emerging ants will be workers,
which are all female. But, this particular ant looks a little different from your typical
worker. It's oddly shaped and it even has wings. This is actually a male, known as a
drone. Drones don't do anything for their colony, other than use up their resources.
Their only purpose in life is to mate with winged females during nuptial flights. Shortly
after which, they die. These ants are produced from unfertilised eggs, usually when a colony
reaches a mature size.
A typical Sugar ant colony only contains a
single queen, the only ant of which can lay fertile eggs. So, what happens to a colony
if this queen were to die? Well, here we have a queenless colony of Banded Sugar Ants. The
queen died around 6 months ago, leaving behind a hundred or so workers. Despite having no
queen around, these ants continue to cooperate with one another and function as a normal
colony would.
But, with the absence of their queen, there aren’t any new workers emerging
to replace the old and dying. So slowly, but surely, the colony will die off.
Remarkably, the ants can actually sense that their colony’s coming to an end. So occasionally,
what the remaining workers will do is begin laying their own eggs. Sugar ant workers are
sterile, so all these eggs you see here are unfertilised, and will develop into drones.
It’s like a last-ditch effort to spread their genes and help ensure the survival of
their species.
And that really sums up Sugar Ants. They’re
incredibly determined little creatures. Highly efficient in the way they both find food and
subdue their prey...
Extremely competitive with other ants, raiding and sabotaging at will...
And amazingly resourceful for the way in which they adapt to their environment,
with desert dwelling species utilizing workers as living storage jars…and some tropical
species weaving leaves together to act as shelters…and many ground dwellers, heightening
their nest entrances into towers when they sense rain coming, to prevent water rushing
in and flooding their homes.
It’s pretty safe to say, these ants will be around for
a long time to come.
Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the video. So far
we’ve looked at Bull ants, Argentine ants and now Sugar ants. So, which ants should
we cover next? I’d love to hear your thoughts so leave a suggestion below.
Next video will be another ant keeping tutorial. This time on how to build your own ant nest.
So look forward to that, and as always, thanks for watching.