4 replies to this topic

[FinWins]

So today I looked in at my growing Pogomyrmex rugosus colony that live in a tubs and tubes setup. Now they have two tubes one that they live in and have brood and the queen in and one that is empty. However the weird behavior is that the empty tube isn’t empty, they’re using it as a secondary seed storage. They have collected lots of seeds and stored them there, they also have seed store in the other tube that they live in and it isn’t that big so why would they make two small seed stores instead of one big one? Could this be evidence of ants knowing not to put all their eggs (seeds) in one basket? 
What is your opinion.

[futurebird]

Ants follow dead simple rules that together add up to complex patterns of behaviour. My first guess would be that an ant retrieving a seed didn't notice the main pile, so started a new one. Now both piles are acceptable place to put seeds based on the dead simple ant rule of "put things that are the same in the same place"

There may be some other rules playing a role, however. Such as "don't let any pile of the same thing get *too* big" or even something like you suggest a kind of "If an item is in only one location, and there are a lot of that item start a new different location."

 

But whatever the rules are driving this the ants probably aren't thinking about "what might happen if part of the nest is destroyed"

If that makes any sense...

[FinWins]

Ants follow dead simple rules that together add up to complex patterns of behaviour. My first guess would be that an ant retrieving a seed didn't notice the main pile, so started a new one. Now both piles are acceptable place to put seeds based on the dead simple ant rule of "put things that are the same in the same place"

There may be some other rules playing a role, however. Such as "don't let any pile of the same thing get *too* big" or even something like you suggest a kind of "If an item is in only one location, and there are a lot of that item start a new different location."

 

But whatever the rules are driving this the ants probably aren't thinking about "what might happen if part of the nest is destroyed"

If that makes any sense...

That’s what I thought. After I uncovered the seed test tube they moved out most of the seeds in there and transferred them to the nest. I guess they’re try to hide it of course.

[TacticalHandleGaming]

I've noticed my colonies of Pogonomyrmex do this, as well as shift the seeds from chamber to chamber. 

[TypeD]

I've noticed my colonies of Pogonomyrmex do this, as well as shift the seeds from chamber to chamber. 

 

Same here. I've got them in a vivarium, and I notice this especially when I water the soil or adjust what part of the glass I'm heating. I figure sometimes it has to do with preserving the seeds.