Abstract
AbstractIn studies with large, laboratory colonies containing fertile (physogastric) queens, the intensity of worker aggression directed at nonnestmate kin and nonnestmate nonkin was independent of queen‐derived olfactory cues. Workers were also confined for 24 h with a physogastric queen. Those workers selected for testing while tending queens were attacked during subsequent introductions to nestmates. Queen‐derived cues are thus sufficient for nestmate recognition in the laboratory. Aggression elicited by queen‐tending workers was not significantly associated with queen fecundity (weight). The fire‐ant queen attractant/recognition pheromone was transferred from queens to queen‐tending workers in these small groups. Data are consistent with the hypothesis that workers detect both qualitative and quantitative differences in queen pheromones. While queen‐derived cues do not appear to play a significant role in colony‐level recognition, they could function as caste‐recognition cues within fire‐ant nests.
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