Entomologist Jessica Purcell calls the learned behavior “a new height of exploitation” Getty Parasitic queen ants infiltrate rival ant colonies and trigger workers to kill their own queen The takeover ...

Berkeley – Experiments led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have demonstrated that normally friendly ants can turn against each other by exploiting the chemical cues they use ...

Parasitic ant queens have evolved a sophisticated strategy to infiltrate and take over established colonies. By releasing targeted chemical sprays, these invaders manipulate host workers into killing ...

The takeover relies on a chemical spray that masks the host queen’s scent as an enemy New study reveals a rare, sophisticated form of social parasitism with no benefit to the queen mother or her ...

"When Ants Attack: Chemicals That Trigger Aggression In Argentine Ants Synthesized." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2009 / 10 / 091028090540.htm (accessed January 3, 2026).

Researchers have documented a stunning, and frankly ruthless, behavior unfolding inside certain ant colonies. According to a new study published in Current Biology on Monday, Nov. 17, several species ...