Insect communication: "No entry" signal in ant foraging
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 00:25authored byElva J H Robinson, Duncan E Jackson, Mike Holcombe, Francis Ratnieks
Forager ants lay attractive trail pheromones to guide nestmates to food1, 2, but the effectiveness of foraging networks might be improved if pheromones could also be used to repel foragers from unrewarding routes3, 4. Here we present empirical evidence for such a negative trail pheromone, deployed by Pharaoh's ants (Monomorium pharaonis) as a 'no entry' signal to mark an unrewarding foraging path. This finding constitutes another example of the sophisticated control mechanisms used in self-organized ant colonies
Discovery of first repellent/negative trail pheromone in ants. The pheromone acts as a "no entry" signal, and is placed on non-rewarding branches at trail bifurcations.