Meat Ant

What are the different roles in the colony?

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There are two roles in the colony. They’re the workers and majors. The workers do tasks that help the colony survive. The jobs are feeding the larvae, tending to the brood (eggs) which includes cleaning and scavenging for lightweight food and supplies. The major ants are also known as soldier ants are bigger and stronger than the workers. They protect the colony from larger predators. The majors use their strong mandibles to carry heavy supplies. The queens are the creators of all colonies. When the queens reach the right age they will depart from the colony they were born in and mate with a male drone. After mating the queen’s wings will fall off her back, she’ll find a new location for her nest and lay her first cluster of eggs. The queen digs a chamber deep in the soil, it's the only room in the whole colony that doesn't change. 

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What is their diet?

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Iridomyrmex eat a variety of foods like meat and sweets but they rarely eat vegetation. Some examples are caterpillars, butterflies but they prefer the larvae of the Waterhouse hairstreak butterfly. Other foods in their diet include wasp larvae, moths, cane toads, sap-sucking insects like treehoppers, flower nectar, sugar and small pieces of grapes. Their favourite food is honeydew because it's sweet. 

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How do they adapt?

 

Adapting to the ant queen's death

 

When the queen of the colony dies the colony will not survive. The workers can’t reproduce so they can’t gain back the ants they lost. But the colony won’t look for a new queen

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Adapting to natural disasters

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Floods: while some ant species will hold their breath others will attempt to block the entrance with anything they have.

 

Earthquakes: when they feel an earthquake coming they will congregate outside of the nest, flee to a temporary home and wait up to a day after the earthquake is finished

 

Migration: when they’re food shortages, bad habitat changes (floods and fires etc.)