I wanted to see what would happen when an ant is separated from its colony, so I performed an experiment on my huge fire ant colony, the Phoenix Empire, by isolating a single worker ant for 12 hrs and observing what it did and how it acted. I was surprised by what I ended up seeing, as well as what happened when the ant was reunited with the colony after the 12 hour period. Hope you enjoy this week’s episode!
Quarantining An Ant From Its Whole Colony | Sad Reaction
Ants live in massive colonies with up to millions of members, but have you ever wondered what would happen if we separated an ant from its colony?
Well, this week, I decided to find out.
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The Experiment Begins
Guys, the results of this experiment were very surprising and also quite moving, so keep watching until the end to see what happens to an ant that is separated from its colony, as well as the big reunion afterwards.
And just a heads upâgrab some tissues!
The first thing I needed to do was design this ant isolation experiment, but I wanted to make sure my methods were ethical.
I didnât want this experiment to be cruel.
The thing I was most concerned about was isolating an ant and causing it to suffer during the experimentâfeeling excessively depressed or, worst-case scenario, even dying if it were separated from its colony for too long.
However, for the longest time, after years of ant keeping, Iâve wondered what would happen if an ant was separated from its colony.
Perhaps getting lost sometimes happens to ants in nature.
What happens to the ant then?
Ensuring an Ethical Experiment
To be as non-cruel as possible, I set the duration of this ant isolation experiment to just 12 hours.
That was plenty of time for us to see any changes in the ant after separation.
I also made sure to provide the ant with everything it needed to survive while in isolation.
But before we separate an ant from its colony, letâs have a look at where our test subject will come from.
Meet the Phoenix Empire
This is the Phoenix Empireâmy massive pet fire ant colony.
Theyâre composed of tens of thousands of members now and are a fully functioning, well-oiled ant machineâdesigned to hunt, collect food, build nest tunnels, and care for their queen and all the babies she amasses every day.
Theyâre always working cooperatively together, and lookâhow cute!
Theyâre chewing through the connector tube in an attempt to escape their setup.
Welcome to the fire ant hive mind!
The Isolation Setup
In this experiment, I will be taking one worker ant from this massive ant colony and isolating it in this setup Iâve prepared:
⢠An AC Test Tube Portal
⢠A test tube full of sugar water
â˘Another test tube with freshwater
⢠A test tube setup with red film to act as a shelter
Now, before we beginâwhat is your hypothesis?
How do you think an ant will react once itâs separated for 12 hours?
⢠Will it show signs of depression?
â˘Will it wander non-stop in search of its colony?
â˘Or will it remain happy, stuffing its face with sugar water, and relaxing in our shelterârelieved it was now solo and free from its fascist life of slavery?
Okay, maybe thatâs a bit much.
But let us know your guesses in the comments, and afterward, go back and let us know if you were right!
Choosing Our Test Subject
Now to choose our ant.
My plan was to stick a toothpick inside their territories and collect one of the curious ants climbing up it.
You may be wondering why many of the ants seem to be covered in white stuff.
Well, thatâs baby powder!
These ants have probably been previously preoccupied with trying to escape their setup and surpass our baby powder barrier.
Well, okay, if they want to break out so badly, letâs grant that wish for one of them now!
I went in with a Q-tip to gather one antâŚ
And got one!
This worker ant will be our test subject for this isolation experiment.
I then placed the ant into our isolation chamber.
Done.
Observations Begin
At first, it paced all around the Test Tube Portal, trying to regain its bearings.
It was in strange lands now and often stopped to clean its antennae to have the best sense of smell possible for finding its way back home.
It spent most of its time wandering the top, trying to find a way out.
It could probably smell its colonyâs pheromones nearby, so it likely knew it wasnât too far from home.
But now, AC Family, this was the sad part.
I proceeded to move the colony far away from the isolation chamber.
Our ant was now officially alone.
And so began our ant isolation experiment.
The Antâs Reaction
For the first hour, the ant paced around and tried its hardest to retrace its steps.
Going back on its tracks by smell is how ants that are lost find their way back home.
Iâm sure this ant was so confused.
I felt so bad for it already.
It eventually found our sugar water test tube, but instead of drinking from it, it chose to prioritize finding its way back home.
It could always come back once it found a home-bound trail.
It kept cleaning its antennae every few minutes and continued to search.
I bet it was bewildered as to why it could no longer smell its colony anywhere.
The Experiment Continues
By the third hour, after tirelessly wandering the premises in vain, she stood still in the same place.
Was she depressed?
Was she scared?
Was she confused about how she had lost her family and her way?
That disconnect must be so tough.
I felt bad, but I knew this was just for 12 hours, and sheâd already finished a quarter of the way.
A Heartwarming Reunion
At sunrise, I checked up on our fire ant.
My biggest fear was that she had died.
Looking around the isolation enclosure, it took me a moment to find her.
She was resting in our shelter.
She mustâve found the place overnight.
She had been through so much.
But suddenlyâŚ
A vibration caught her by surpriseâŚ
Followed by a commotionâŚ
And then a very familiar smell!
With renewed life, she ran toward the entrance, almost shouting through the glass at her fellow sister ants, who were now pouring into the isolation chamber!
Final Thoughts
Seeing our ant reunite with her colony was heartwarming.
It reminded me of us humansâhow isolation can make us appreciate real-life interactions so much more.
Once life goes back to normal, Iâve decided to more greatly appreciate the gift of human connection.
Outro
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