{"id":2419,"date":"2022-03-31T16:11:53","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T08:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/?p=2419"},"modified":"2023-04-22T11:31:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-22T03:31:49","slug":"how-do-ants-communicate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Ants Communicate?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Ants communicate through 5 different modes of communication. These modes include pheromones, sound, body language, trophallaxis, and touch. Out of all these, they rely most on pheromones. The rest are less developed and are mainly used to complement chemical communication.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll learn more about how ants communicate as we discuss their different modes of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-communicate-c-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"how do ants communicate\" class=\"wp-image-3364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-communicate-c-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-communicate-c-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-communicate-c-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-do-ants-communicate-c.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/7854-7854\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=56811\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Harald Matern<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=56811\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_64 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Pheromones_Scent\" title=\"Pheromones (Scent)\">Pheromones (Scent)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Sound\" title=\"Sound\">Sound<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Trophallaxis\" title=\"Trophallaxis\">Trophallaxis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Body_Language\" title=\"Body Language\">Body Language<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Touch\" title=\"Touch\">Touch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Related_Questions\" title=\"Related Questions\">Related Questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Can_Ants_Hear\" title=\"Can Ants Hear?\">Can Ants Hear?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#How_Do_Ants_Find_Food\" title=\"How Do Ants Find Food?\">How Do Ants Find Food?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-communicate\/#Summary_How_Do_Ants_Communicate\" title=\"Summary: How Do Ants Communicate?\">Summary: How Do Ants Communicate?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pheromones_Scent\"><\/span>Pheromones (Scent)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants mostly communicate through chemical signals called pheromones. Through these pheromones, they <strong>relay different types of information<\/strong>. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/current-biology\/pdf\/S0960-9822(06)01834-3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/current-biology\/pdf\/S0960-9822(06)01834-3.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, ants use pheromones when they forage. As they look for food, they make sure to leave a pheromone trail. Whenever they find food, they reinforce this trail as they head back to their nests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This reinforced trail <strong>communicates the presence of food<\/strong> to other worker ants. It tells them to follow the trail to the food source and help with collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ants also use pheromones to send alarm signals. They can use pheromones to alert the colony, call for help, or evoke aggression.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sound\"><\/span>Sound<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ant Artists : Ant&#039;s Voice\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pYdwdu3J5CA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ants produce sounds to communicate. They do so in 2 ways: drumming and stridulation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To drum, ants repeatedly strike the substrate with their bodies. It\u2019s often used to <strong>send alarm signals whenever there\u2019s a disturbance in the colony nest.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stridulation, on the other hand, is done by rubbing two sections of the gaster together. This produces a chirp-like sound that can<strong> relay alarm or mating signals<\/strong>. They&#8217;re also used to <strong>complement chemical communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Trophallaxis\"><\/span>Trophallaxis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Trophallaxis is a social-fluid exchange found in social insects like ants. It typically refers to feeding through the mouth-to-mouth transfer of food and nutrients. However, research has found that <strong>ants also use trophallaxis to pass information and memories<\/strong>. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biotaxa.org\/mn\/article\/view\/66610\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.biotaxa.org\/mn\/article\/view\/66610\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, ants use trophallaxis to share information about a food source. Ants that engage in trophallaxis exhibit changes in foraging behavior. They start foraging for food that they used to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trophallaxis also affects how ants interact with other animals they haven&#8217;t encountered.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <em>Tetramorium tsushimae<\/em> ants are naturally aggressive toward aphids. However, those that have tended to aphids before learn to moderate their aggression. Ants that engage in trophallaxis with these members become less aggressive toward aphids. This is in spite of the fact, that they have never tended to aphids before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Body_Language\"><\/span>Body Language<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ants also communicate through body language.<\/strong> Desert ants, for example, can communicate through simple interactions. They identify scouts have found food and are recruiting depending on their speed. Those that have retained their high speed after they encounter other ants. On the other hand, those that haven\u2019t adjusted their speed after every encounter. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.semanticscholar.org\/paper\/Desert-ants-achieve-reliable-recruitment-across-Razin-Eckmann\/0d204d3dc81352ba791381797900b7c1393d2f4c\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.semanticscholar.org\/paper\/Desert-ants-achieve-reliable-recruitment-across-Razin-Eckmann\/0d204d3dc81352ba791381797900b7c1393d2f4c\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Touch\"><\/span>Touch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lastly, ants are also known to communicate with touch. For example, African weaver ants <strong>relay information by touching each other\u2019s antennae<\/strong>. They do this during recruitment for food finds or for defense against intruders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Questions\"><\/span>Related Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-hear-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"can ants hear\" class=\"wp-image-2292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-hear-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-hear-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-hear-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/can-ants-hear.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image by <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/fjcorado-1727916\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4387092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Francisco Corado<\/a> from <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4387092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_Ants_Hear\"><\/span>Can Ants Hear?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ants can hear, but not in the same way as us humans.<\/strong> Ants are deaf to airborne sounds. They can, however, detect sound through substrate-borne vibrations. This means that they can hear sound through vibration passing through solids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out this article to learn <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/can-ants-hear\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2286\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">how ants hear<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Do_Ants_Find_Food\"><\/span>How Do Ants Find Food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ants find food by foraging.<\/strong> Ant colonies regularly send out worker ants to find found around their nests. These ants travel long distances and rely on their keen sense of smell to detect food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once they find food, they head back to their nests to inform their colony mates. They then recruit fellow workers through pheromones and other modes of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read this article to learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/how-do-ants-find-food\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2115\">how ants find food<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary_How_Do_Ants_Communicate\"><\/span>Summary: How Do Ants Communicate?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To summarize, ants communicate through the following modes of communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Pheromones<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sound<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Body language<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trophallaxis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Touch<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For the most part, ants use pheromones as their main mode of communication. However, they also use the rest to complement pheromones or relay different information. For example, they can use trophallaxis to transmit information and memories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ants communicate through 5 different modes of communication. These modes include pheromones, sound, body language, trophallaxis, and touch. Out of all these, they rely most on pheromones. The rest are less developed and are mainly used to complement chemical communication. In this article, we\u2019ll learn more about how ants communicate as we discuss their different&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scifaqs.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}