Recruitment and trail communication in two species of Messor ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Abstract

Behavioural patterns and chemical signals mediating recruitment communication of the harvesting ants M. minor and M. was‐manni were studied. Recruitment towards a food source was investigated in the laboratory. Bioassays showed that successful scouts induce nestmates to leave the nest by substances from Du‐four's gland. This gland was also found to be the source of the chemical trails by which foragers reach newly discovered feeding sites. Glandular secretions from the last abdominal tergites as well as from the poison gland induced typical alarm reactions, suggesting their involvement in alarm communication and recruitment towards a source of danger. Production of stridulations by scouts and recruited foragers was also recorded on the food items under both field and laboratory conditions. The possible role of such vibrational signals in foraging communication is discussed. Finally, a comparison of the communication systems employed by both species was made and some ecological implications are discussed.