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ViewAttendees 4

10-Minute Paper

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

P-IE: Behavior, Genetics, and Diagnostics 1

Pest control and prophylactics: The function of pine resin in ant nest architecture

Sunday, November 5, 2023
4:42 PM – 4:54 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor 2
In-Person
Many ant species amass collections of non-food items like charcoal, pebbles, sclerotia, or thatch. These collections have diverse functions within and around subterranean nests. Recent excavations in the Southwestern United States revealed that Myrmica sp. and Crematogaster spp. colonies make extensive collections lichen and pine resin. These objects are preferentially selected by the ants when offered in buffets of like-sized items. To investigate possible functions of resin in ant nests, I introduced invading thief ants (Solenopsis molesta), parasitic crickets, entomopathogenic fungi, and structural disturbances to nests in the presence or absence of resin. The distribution of resin and lichen across the vertical strata of natural nests, and with respect to features like brood chambers, trash chambers, and nest entrances was also quantified. The use of resin as a prophylactic has previously been reported for the European wood ant, Formica paralugubris. The discovery of resin use by Myrmica sp. represents only the second report of this behavior across ant genera, and the first report of resin use by an ant species in the subfamily Myrmicinae.