‘Princess Pheromone’ Tells Ants Which Larvae Are Destined to Be Queens
For Indian jumping ants (Harpegnathos saltator), becoming royalty is all about timing.
If a larva gives signs of maturing into a queen at the wrong time, it is physically harassed into remaining a humble worker. But the same cues at the right time give the larva access to the resources it needs to thrive and develop as a queen. Now scientists have identified the “princess pheromone” that tells a colony when an ant larva is aiming for coronation. (more…)