Why do dead ants attract more ants?

Your observations are correct: when you kill ants, the others find out. Ants communicate by smell, and have several glands full of different chemicals they can choose from to send the right message, like the Dufour's gland or the poison gland. D... read more

That is like a chemical identity. Usually when an ant dies, it releases a chemical (I think. oleic acid) which tells other ants that it is dead and needs to moved away from the nest (as the dead ant may catch fungus and infect the colony). Even an injured ant releases some chemical to attract other ants. read more

If so, you are likely wondering what it is about dead ants that seems to attract more ants. In truth, the answer is not at all what you might think. There is an interesting science behind an ant’s attraction to a dead ant. read more

After two days, the living ants take the dead ant to an ant graveyard in a respectful procession, honoring the good work it performed for the colony. Well, not quite. The carcass does lie there for two days and it is carted off to a pile of dead ants. read more