How do ants know exactly where to go in order to get that tasty little morsel?

Asked by Allie (17541

) August 20th, 2008

Do ants just wander about until they stumble upon something delicious? And if so, how do they not get lost on the way back to the morsel when they go get other ants? Or do they hunt in packs and then send half the pack back to home base? How do they know to go around the tree, take a left at the jacuzzi, across the driveway and find the one cookie that fell off someones plate at my BBQ last week?

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9 Answers

they leave trails to follow, that is why you should always wipe down the entire area so they can’t follow their way back. There are also scout ants who go searching for food and if they find some they go back for the others.

cheebdragon (20506

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I think Cheeb is right, they leave their scent along the way. And if you step on an ant and leave the scent on your shoe all the other ants will come out and attack you because they will know that you killed their friend because they can smell the blood. True story…

shrubbery (10326

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