6 replies to this topic

[Temperateants]

In multiple Camponotus colonies I've lost workers because one got itself stuck on cotton, which is understandable, but why don't the other workers help? Like they are so good at destroying cotton why not just pull the worker to safety?

[AntsMaryland]

Worker ants do what worker ants do… But if you want to prevent this in the future – look no further… well you're gonna have to look a little further by reading a short thread.

 

https://www.formicul...on-ball-covers/

 

That should solve your problems.

 

Hope this helps!

[ANTdrew]

The more I read this forum, the more I think Camponotus ain’t nothin’ but trouble.

[Temperateants]

The more I read this forum, the more I think Camponotus ain’t nothin’ but trouble.

They really are one of the least intelligent ants in my opinion.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I remember when a worker eclosed in my Pogonomyrmex colony, and it had bits of its pupa stuck to its legs, gluing them together. The other ants could easily have helped it, but the ant ultimately was not free until the next day.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Hmm, maybe the helping your sisters thing (like per the article on Veromessor pergandei rescuing from spiderwebs) really is more rare than I thought?

I had several incidents of Vero pergandei workers coated in sugar. The colony that was slowly dying ("Derpymessor") totally ignored the coated ant, even when I put her in the test tube. My successful colony - well, outworld foragers kind of ignored the ant, but once I put her in the test tube, a nanny ant came over and dragged her further in and other nannies cleaned her off.

 

Of course, I read the articles like stories of ants doing medical triage to bring home the wounded (posted the article somewhere on Formi) so seeing derpiness can be a little disappointing. But like with my Veros, or with my fraggles where the foragers couldn't figure out fruit flies were edible until a nanny did, maybe IQ varies by ant and only increases after the colony as a whole gains enough members that some of them figure things out.

[Temperateants]

Hmm, maybe the helping your sisters thing (like per the article on Veromessor pergandei rescuing from spiderwebs) really is more rare than I thought?

I had several incidents of Vero pergandei workers coated in sugar. The colony that was slowly dying ("Derpymessor") totally ignored the coated ant, even when I put her in the test tube. My successful colony - well, outworld foragers kind of ignored the ant, but once I put her in the test tube, a nanny ant came over and dragged her further in and other nannies cleaned her off.

 

Of course, I read the articles like stories of ants doing medical triage to bring home the wounded (posted the article somewhere on Formi) so seeing derpiness can be a little disappointing. But like with my Veros, or with my fraggles where the foragers couldn't figure out fruit flies were edible until a nanny did, maybe IQ varies by ant and only increases after the colony as a whole gains enough members that some of them figure things out.

Lol some people have compared ants to "many dumb things that become one smart thing" so a large colony that cleans up after itself, recognizes food, and actually has teamwork is a high IQ with many brain cells, while a founding colony of Campontous that puts trash on the colonies own water source and doesn't help other workers is a tiny brain with low IQ.