Researchers filmed a parasitic ant queen infiltrating a colony and provoking workers to kill their own reproductive queen. The intruder — likely Lasius orientalis or Lasius umbratus — steals the colony odor, then repeatedly sprays what is suspected to be formic acid at the resident queen. The altered scent causes the workers to attack their mother, after which the parasite lays eggs and assumes control. The observations and video are published in Current Biology.
Parasitic Ant Tricks Workers Into Killing Their Queen — Chilling Video Reveals Chemical Coup
Researchers filmed a parasitic ant queen infiltrating a colony and provoking workers to kill their own reproductive queen. The intruder — likely Lasius orientalis or Lasius umbratus — steals the colony odor, then repeatedly sprays what is suspected to be formic acid at the resident queen. The altered scent causes the workers to attack their mother, after which the parasite lays eggs and assumes control. The observations and video are published in Current Biology.
04:37 PM, 11/21/2025Science
Scientists have captured startling footage of a parasitic ant queen infiltrating a colony and triggering workers to kill their own reproductive mother. The invader — likely Lasius orientalis or Lasius umbratus — slips into nests of Lasius flavus or Lasius japonicus and uses a chemical trick to turn daughters against their queen.
How the takeover unfolds
Before entry, the parasitic queen acquires the colony's odor by moving among workers outside the nest, which helps her avoid immediate detection. Once inside, observers recorded the intruder repeatedly spraying jets of fluid from an acidopore aimed at the resident queen. Based on the parasite’s genus and the spray behavior, the researchers suspect the chemical is formic acid.
"Ants live in the world of odors," says corresponding author and behavioral ecologist Keizo Takasuka of Kyushu University. "We believe the parasitic queen sprays formic acid to mask the resident queen's scent with a repulsive odor, which causes the workers to perceive her as an enemy and attack her."
The sequence is methodical: spray, retreat briefly to avoid attracting the workers themselves, then repeat until the resident queen is mortally wounded. After the original matriarch dies, the parasitic queen begins laying eggs. Remarkably, the workers subsequently tend the invader and her brood, effectively accepting a new ruler and completing the takeover.
Wider significance
This documented case illustrates a sophisticated example of chemical deception and social manipulation among insects. It highlights how finely tuned odor recognition is in ant societies, and how a parasite can exploit that system to subvert an entire colony. The observations and accompanying video are published in the journal Current Biology.
Source: Keizo Takasuka and colleagues; study published in Current Biology.