ANTSTORE World of Ants

[anquietas]

ok i was out earlyer today looking for termites i found them but the strange thing is is that they were living in the same log as lasius emarginatus and the structure of the tunnles and chambers in the log were of termite disign but both ants and termites were in the chambers and working together passing eachother without fighting and it even looked as though a termite every now and then would even clean the ants is this a sign of the ants making slaves or the termites making slaves or the two making peace after millions of years of war? i found the ant queen and she and her workers were lasius emarginatus and i folowed the termites as long as i could (.5m deep trench that went for 4m) and then lost them but they were eastern subterranean termites

[ashhad1]

hmmm i never heard about termites and ants making slaves of each other nor have i ever heard they cooperate with each other.

[Sphecomyrmex]

Very interesting!

Some ants live in the same nest with termites. Some ants that live in the same nest with termites are inquiline social parasites of termites, other ants are parabiotic and termitophylous. I didn't know that Lasius emarginatus could live with termites...It would be great to observe these "compound" nests of ants and termites. What termite specie was it?

[anquietas]

they were eastern subterranean termites Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar theres a bio sheet all about these termites they are also the same kind i am trying to keep (needy little things) o and what does inquiline prabiotic and termitophylous mean? little new to the terms =p

[Sphecomyrmex]

Well, inquiline parasitic ants of termites live in termitaria for hunting termites. Instead, parabiotic and termitophylous ants live in peace with termites. There are also parabiotic ants that live in peace with other ants. This phenom is called "parabiosis".

[anquietas]

o ok thank you for explaneing that but still have you ever heard of lasius emarginatus being parabiotic?

[Sphecomyrmex]

No, i haven't...Termitophylous ants that lives in parabiosis with termites are so few... Then it's more probably, it's an inquiline social parasite of termites...

Have you taken the compound colony?

[anquietas]

no i was not able to proqure it the queen got away long before i could get a contianer for her but i wish i had and the workers of both termite and ant bolted towards the termite mud tubes and got away

[Sphecomyrmex]

I've looked in web for articles on this mater. But i've found nothing.
Then, it could be very interesting, really a new phenom

But it can also trot of an isolated case.
Please tell me if you found other of these Lasius emarginatus-Reticulitermes compound colony.

[anquietas]

i have not the other colonies were they both were they were fighting to the death ROMAN GLADIATORS!!!!!!!!!!!! anyways back to being serious lol i did go back there today and found a cripled colony of massive black carpenter ants you know those ones that are like 3.5cm long is it possible that they had a tempory allience to defeat the carpenter ants ?

[Sphecomyrmex]

No, i think it isn't possible.
Are you sure emarginatus weren't attacking termites?

[anquietas]

positive and i didi go back again and found the queen but she wasnt like a queen i have seen before (only cought a small glimsp of her the first time) she was about 1-2 mm to small and her head and thorax were jet black and her abdomn was short flat grey and round what is she the workers look just like L. Emarginatus workers but i guess them comming from that queen there not

ps i do have that colony now and after i captured them they started to kill off all the termites yet the ones i didnt get that were still at there home do not attack the termites

[Sphecomyrmex]

Then i think Lasius emarginatus were parasitic inquiline of termites...

[anquietas]

but like i said i found the queen and shes not Lasius emarginatus like i thought

[Sphecomyrmex]

I don't know...
But you're sure workers are lasius emarginatus, aren't you?
Have you put the queen in a test-tube?