so mean when an ant dies, a friend of one nest to evacuate and set it aside. That way, the risk of colony infection of a disease outbreak can be minimized.
But how do they know his partner was dead? There is a theory that dead ants release chemicals produced by the decay, such as fatty acids. The smell of chemicals was a sign of their death for ant colony alive.
Now a research entomologist Argentine ants, insects are very territorial fiercely, thrusting evidence of another mechanism behind necrophoresis, removal of dead colony members.
All ants, both living and dead, have the "death chemicals", but live ants have other chemicals associated with life, which is "life chemicals." When an ant dies, his life fading chemicals or dispersed, and only the chemical The remaining deaths.
"That's because the dead ant no longer smells like a living ant that immediately transported to the graveyard, not because of his body issuing new unique chemical substance formed after his death," said Dong-Hwan Choe, lead researcher at the University of California, Riverside, USA .
Dong-Hwan Choe findings published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Understanding the exact mechanism of ant necrophoresis could help researchers develop strategies that are environmentally friendly pest management so as to achieve maximum results with less number of insecticide," Choe said.
Studies on Argentine ants carried Choe and his team indicate that fellow nester distribute insecticide and slow-acting non-repellent efficient among them through necrophoresis.
"When an ant exposed to an insecticide dies in the nest, other ants will carry his body around, and the insecticide was easily spread from ant to ant bodies healthy," he said.
