Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   myrmepropagandist (futurebird@sauropods.win)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 21:59:19 JST myrmepropagandist

   When colonies are small they are nervous. Here is the young queen and her 23 daughters are gathered close to her frozen in fear as I feed them and collect the little trash pile they made. When their numbers pass some tipping point they will stop cowering like this and grow bold. I wonder how each ant decides if she should be brave or hide? how do they know the size of their colony?

   • GreenSkyOverMe (Monika) repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Alex (mentallyalex@beige.party)'s status on Monday, 20-May-2024 22:00:20 JST Alex

     in reply to

     @futurebird I want to understand what I am seeing. So, you have made a new nest or enclosure and they are repopulating it. Because it's an enclosure you need to move refuse out and food in. During that process, all the ants gather around the queen to protect her or are they seeking her out for instruction/orders?

     When they cower, in my mind it visualizes more human or canine, with them lowered their heads and looking away from you. That doesn't sound... right?

     Such neat mannerisms. I'm curious if it's ubiquitous among ant kind? Perhaps certain groups have a higher/lower tolerance to what equated to "large enough"?