Page 82 - The Miracle in the Ant

Parasites that are Fed from the Mouth of the Ant

A type of parasite called Dinarda, tours around the nest of the
colony and feeds upon the prey brought in by the host ants. Also, it uti-
lizes the nutritional fluids of the host. This parasite wanders around the
nest chambers where the newly arrived workers and hunters share food.
Its tactic is to touch the edge of its mouth when it sees the ant so that it
will give it a drop of food. Actually, by this feeding method, it places it-
self in enormous danger, because once the ant realizes that the parasite
is a stranger, it is going to assume the attack position. Yet the parasite
has taken its precautions against such circumstances. When it sees that
the ant is getting ready to attack, it raises its belly upwards and spurts a
tranquilizing fluid towards the ant. The attack ends because of this fluid
and the parasite escapes. 50

Smart Immigrants
Some insect species (Atemeles) leave the ant nest (Formica) where
they have been raised during the summer, and migrate to the nest of an-
other ant species (Myrmica). After wintering over there, they come back
to their original nest in summer. There is of course a reason for these
moves: There is no growing period in Formica nests in winter months.
Therefore, the food flow decreases. Yet, in the Myrmica species, there is
a brooding period and food sources are very rich. 51
It might be expected that during this migration, the migrants would
have difficulty in finding their way back. However, they have absolute-
ly no difficulty. The Formica nests are in wooded areas and the Myrmica
nests are in green, grassy areas. The immigrants who leave the Formica
nest have discovered a very important method of finding their way: they
go towards the light and find the grassy land that is the location of the
nest they will settle in. Yet when they arrive there, another problem
awaits them. They have to differentiate between Myrmica ants and oth-
er ant colonies. Research shows that the migrants spot the correct host
because of the scent given out of the Myrmica nest. In short, these im-
52
migrants have the capacity to distinguish between the scents of ant
colonies, apart from their skill in finding their direction by the aid of
light.

Kar›nca Mucizesi
82 THE MIRACLE IN THE ANT