Ants Invade!‏

July 8, 2009
Ants Invade!
Scientists have made some amazing discoveries about one species of ant
by Joyce C. Tang

One type of South American ant is spreading around the world and is living in huge super-colonies. Not only that, but these natural fighters seem to know they are family and get along, according to the latest scientific findings.
The light brown Argentine ants are originally from South America. Over the years, the Argentine ant has moved to other parts of the globe, possibly by hiding in people's luggage and in cargo. This hasn't always been a good thing since the insects can destroy local plants and affect what animals in that area eat.
Ants are fierce fighters. They protect their territory from invaders, including other types of ants and insects. But Argentine ants, though they live on separate continents, don't fight when they come together, scientists say. "Our research found Argentine ants from three continents were rather friendly, and not hostile towards each other," researcher Eiriki Sunamura told the New Zealand Herald.
Are Ants Taking Over?
There are three known super-colonies of Argentine ants. In Europe, one super-colony is located along the Mediterranean Sea. It is believed to be 3,700 miles long. That's even wider than the United States. Another super-colony is located in California. It covers about 560 miles, or about half of the California coast. The third super-colony is on the west coast of Japan.
Scientists in Japan and Spain have discovered that the insects in the three super-colonies share similar chemical profiles. This helps them recognize one another. To prove this, the scientists matched each super-colony with ants from a different colony in a similar part of the world. The Mediterranean ant colony couldn't get along with a smaller one from Spain. And the colony from the west coast of Japan couldn't get along with ants from another area in Japan. But when the ants from the three super-colonies came together, they got along just fine. In fact, they acted like old friends. And how do old ant friends greet one another? By rubbing antennas to say hello.
All in the Family
The scientists think that the Argentine ant super-colonies are one big family. Because they have similar chemical profiles, the scientists believe they are genetically related. The ants recognize each other by the chemical makeup of their outer shells.

Michael-Ants are a kind of insect. There are a lot of species of ants. Some are dangerous. There are three super colonies of ants, Mediterranean ants, Japan ants and the Spain ants. It is strange that if you put one of the ants into another groups of ants it seems that they can’t get along with them. But if the three kinds of ants meet they seem to be familiar to each other. Ants can know others by using their antennas.