Latest Carpenter ant Stories

If It's Summer, It's Time for Carpenter Ants. July is the month of peak activity for carpenter ants. These ants are known to forage up to 100 yards, establishing colonies inside your home. Carpenter ants seek out moist, decaying wood to establish and expand their nest. Homeowners can take proactive steps to remove the likelihood of an infestation. But if there is an infestation,contact contact a pest control professional immediately. Otherwise, the colony will continue to expand and...

Tropical carpenter ants (Camponotus leonardi) live high up in the rainforest canopy. When infected by a parasitic fungus (Ophiocordyceps unilateralis) the behaviour of the ants is dramatically changed. They become erratic and zombie-like, and are manipulated by the fungus into dying at a spot that provides optimal conditions for fungal reproduction. New research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Ecology, looks at altered behaviour patterns in Zombie ants in Thailand and...

Research may help unlock the mysteries of human aging and behaviorScientists have finally sequenced the entire genome of an ant, actually two very different species of ant, and the insights gleaned from their genetic blueprints are already yielding tantalizing clues to the extraordinary social behavior of ants.A result of a ground-breaking collaborative research project led by Danny Reinberg, PhD, professor of biochemistry at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute...

A study in the September issue of The American Naturalist describes new details about a fungal parasite that coerces ants into dying in just the right spot"”one that is ideal for the fungus to grow and reproduce. The study, led David P. Hughes of Harvard University, shows just how precisely the fungus manipulates the behavior of its hapless hosts.When a carpenter ant is infected by a fungus known as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, the victim remains alive for a short time. The fungus, however,...

Ever tried to defeat natural forces? Specialist ants are capable of running on slippery waxy plant surfaces in order to reach their nests and food supplies. Some Macaranga trees in South East Asia have waxy stems to protect themselves from ants and other insects. Only one specific ant is capable of running up and down the stem, in order to access its nest and food supply inside the stem. Tanja Bruening and Holger Bohn from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany are presenting their work on...