will frequently prevent honey ants from leaving their nests by releasing toxic chemical down the hole or nest entrance thus driving the former below ground. This of course allows the smaller species to forage without competition from the honey ants. Another form of nest entrance blocking is exhibited by a small ant species in the southwestern deserts. In this case they gather in mass around the nest entrance of their rivals and similarly release toxic chemicals down the entrance. However in addition they pick up pebbles, twigs and other small objects and drop them down the vertical shaft entrance.
Possibly the most elaborate of all documented aggressive strategies in social insects occurs in battles between the tiny woodland ant and the imported fire ant. The fire ants are deadly enemies of the woodland ants with colonies 100 times larger than their tiny rivals. Even though fire ants are much more powerful than the woodland ants both successfully survive in the same area. The secret of woodland ant survival evolves around a specialized soldier (major) and a three-stage strategy to defend against fire ant attack. These soldiers are equipped with huge heads that are equipped with large sharp jaws provided with massive muscles. These do not attempt to sting or spray their enemy with poisons (common in many ants) but quite precisely use their mandible to snip off legs, heads and other body parts. Unless attacked the majors remain in the colony. However, the minors regularly forage for food but are always on the alert for scout fire ants that are looking for colonies to raid. If a woodland ant minor encounters a fire ant soldier close to its colony a violent response is triggered. Once detected the minor rushes to the fire ant in a mock attack but merely touches the potential invader in order to acquire some of its odor. She then quickly retreats toward her nest. As she retreats she lays a pheromone trail by periodically touching her abdomen to the ground. On her way back she briefly rushes up to any other minor alerting them to the presence of the fire ant scout. Once in the nest soldiers plus many of the minors are alerted to the presence of the invader scout (by its smell on the minor worker) they subsequently rush in mass along the already establish pheromone trail leading to the enemy. Once found the soldier surrounds the fire ant and attack relentlessly and are fully capable of destroying it due to their great superiority in numbers. Of course the whole purpose is to kill the fire ant scout before it can alert other fire ants in the area as to the presence of a woodland ant colony. Once accomplished the soldiers search the general area for any other fire ant scouts.
If fire ants mount a full scale attack of a woodland ant colony, the defenders have an alternate strategy. As fire ants arrive in full force the entire force of woodland soldier ants are sent into the battle. Soon the battle ground is littered with the bodies of the smaller species plus a multitude of legs and other body parts of the fire ants. As the battle continues any woodland ant minors still present retreat to the nest. As more and more fire ants arrive and the woodland ant soldiers are greatly out-numbered they retreat, close ranks to form a dense protective perimeter around their colony entrance. With the impending doom that the fire ants will soon break through the protective barrier and ravage, steal and consume the woodland ant’s eggs, larvae and pupae the activity of the minors in the colonies is frantic but well programs. They gather the young in their mandibles and sprint out though the colony entrance, through the battle field and beyond to safety. The woodland ant soldiers remain true to their programmed behavior and fight to the death. Once the fire ants leave the now ravaged colony the minors return with their cargo of eggs, larvae and pupae and reestablish colony life. Over time new soldiers develop in the colony preparing for the possibility of another raid. Such is the life of ants!
Some ants survive by controlling the environment in whi