Do Termites & Ants Follow the Mantra “No Man Left Behind?”

According to studies conducted by researchers at a German university, it seems that ants and termites execute a perfect battlefield battalion of camaraderie, looking after one another in the melee. Matabele ants are masters at attacking and eating termites. They’re fast and their sting is not one you want to endure. They seek and destroy termites, which sounds like good stuff until you’re stuck with hordes of these ants looming around.

They fiercely target the entrances to the nests of the termites and storm through, battle-style. The termites have their own battle tactics as well. The termite soldiers stand guard while worker termites get busy repairing the damage to their colony. They also have something the ants don’t. Their jaws are capable of crushing the enemy ants and can even expel a squirt of noxious glue-like fluid onto the intruders to impede them. Older termite workers self-sacrifice by exploding all over the ants in an epic showdown.

While this seems like quite the gory scene, the utterly fascinating part of all of this is that both the ants and termites tend to one another during these vicious battles. In particular, the ants send out a signal via release of a chemical that their comrade ants are in tune with. If a worker ant finds an injured ant colleague, it brings the injured party back to the nest. Once safely back at the nest, the injured are tended to by the others. The German study discovered that these ants had a greater chance of survival than the ones that were left untended.

While fearsome and pesky, discovering this tender side of ants and termites sheds new light on dealing with colonies of these pests. The ants and termites gather their fallen for repair, but only those that aren’t so severely damaged that they can go on to battle another day. That means that most of their legs need to be in working order or else they’ll be left behind. Kind of harsh, but so is the battlefield.

Are you battling pests like ants and termites on your property? Spears Pest Control can help get the problem under control. We’re happy to do battle with these warriors. And as fierce as they are, we’re fiercer. We’ll help you reclaim your territory and keep it free from vile intruders like ants and termites, plus many more.

We can help eliminate these pests efficiently and in harmony with nature so call us at 850-682-5354 or fill out our contact us form online. We proudly serve the Crestview, Ft. Walton Beach, Niceville, Destin, FL & surrounding areas.