Ants “Treat” Their Wounded Colony Members

🧬 Ants “Treat” Their Wounded Colony Members

Ants are among nature’s most organized and impressive social creatures. They build nests, forage, defend, and reproduce as a unified colony. But one behavior might surprise you: some ants actually treat their wounded!

The desert-dwelling Megaponera analis species, known for raiding termite nests, often suffers casualties. These injured ants are not left behind instead, they’re cared for by their fellow workers.

🩺 What Is Ant First Aid?

In a groundbreaking 2018 study, scientists observed ants carrying wounded individuals back to the nest. There, they were seen cleaning wounds with antimicrobial secretions produced by their metapleural glands.

A wounded ant might have lost a leg or antenna. If still viable, other ants initiate treatment. This significantly boosts survival rates and preserves the colony’s workforce and efficiency.

🧠 How Do They Know Who Needs Help?

Ants communicate using pheromones. Injured ants release specific chemical signals, which alert others to their condition.

If the ant is heavily infected or unlikely to survive, helpers will abandon or even remove them from the nest. This shows ants use a selective, resource-conscious “treatment protocol.”

🔬 Scientific Evidence & Observations

Researchers from the University of Würzburg, Germany, found that treated ants had a 90% survival rate, compared to a near-total death rate in untreated ones. This supports the theory that ants have evolved health-related behaviors to maintain colony fitness.

During treatment, ants lick the wound, assess it, and apply gland secretions. The entire process can last over 10 minutes per individual.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

📌 Fun Facts

• Ants usually ignore injured individuals from other species.
• Metapleural gland secretions act like natural antibiotics.
• Whether an ant gets treated depends on its pheromone signals.
• Ants prioritize colony health over individual survival.

🧾 Conclusion

Ant first aid is not just a reflex it’s an evolved form of cooperation and survival strategy. These tiny creatures offer one of the most impressive examples of medical care in the insect world. In their silent, collective world, ants show us that empathy may be much older than we think.