This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Argentine ants are taking over the world thanks to their weirdly cooperative nature: When two Argentines meet, unlike most ant species, they won't attack each other even if they're from different nests—and even if those nests are on different continents. This behavior has let them take over large swaths of territory from other, less cooperative ants. Nests can have multiple queens, which mate and lay eggs for ten years. You might say Argentine ants have built one giant global nest. As a result, these South American natives are now established in North America, Africa, Australia, and Europe.
But all is not lost. In 2008, ecologists at Stanford University who were tracking the advance of the Argentines in an area near campus discovered that winter ants, native to California, secrete some sort of poison that repels and even kills the invaders. This video shows how.
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
