The honeypot ant is a name used for specialized workers ants that have large abdomens. As this is used in many ant species, this blog post will be covering the ant species Camponotus inflatus or carpenter ants. Carpenter ants belong to the genus Camponotus which is the most diverse group of ants in Australia. They are characterized by their light-coloured feet, black coloured body and hairs covering the lower and anterior part of the head and the rest of the body. (Antwiki, 2019). The mandible of the carpenter ants contains six teeth which helps the ant break down desert flowers and small insects that is needed to feed the larders (antark, 2019).
Side view of Carpenter
ant by Antwiki and Honeypot ant by Hans Boessem.
Carpenter ants build their nest in hot areas, mostly
around the edges of deserts. Before the rain season, the living larders or
repletes are fed until their abdomen are swollen and they are unable to move. Their
abdomens look similar to honey which gives them the nickname “Honeypot ant”
(Shattuck ,1999). When it is the wet season and food is scarce, worker ants tap
the head of the replete and the replete regurgitates food for the workers. This
continues until the wet season is over or the replete runs out of food (Nature,
1881).
Carpenter ants are under threat from climate change and
be used in food industry. Many of the desert flowers that the ants feed on
depend on the wet season which are becoming shorter due longer dry seasons. The
replete “honeypot ant” have been harvested for dishes in the food industry as
they are considered to be delicacy (Ecological Management & Restoration, 2012).
Next time we will be covering a species of dolphin that is
the smallest dolphin in the world.
References
https://antark.net/ant-species/honey-pot-ant-myrmecocystus-mexicanus/
retrieved 29/7/2019
"Edible insects and management of country",
2012, Ecological Management & Restoration, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 97-99.
"Observations on Ants, Bees, and Wasps 1",
1881, Nature, vol. 23, no. 585, pp. 255-258.
Shattuck, S.O. 1999, Australian ants: their biology and
identification, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Picture references
https://www.ausemade.com.au/fauna-flora/fauna/insecta/hymenoptera/formicidae/formicinae/camponotus/honey-ant.htm
(Honeypot ant)
http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Camponotus_inflatus
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