by Vir Khanna, 6

You might know about the world war of the ants. But did you know that some ants practise the cruel trade of slavery?

Meet Polyergus, the most cruel and effective of the slaver ants. There are many different species, but they’re usually black in colour, and are 3-5 millimeters long. Here is their story:

Act One – The Raid

Picture a massive colony in a sunny field, made up of thousands of Formica ants, who are genetic cousins of Polyergus. Nobody noticed the lone scout who briefly showed up today, before she scuttled away again.

The attack began in the early afternoon. The scout is back from her mission to find a nest. She dances and releases pheromones that attract and excite more Polyergus ants. Soon, a massive raiding party has formed. They rush to the nest and begin digging holes into the Formica Nest. Soon, hundreds of attackers scuttle inside. The Formica Ants are able warriors which shoot acid – but they scatter instead. Polyergus are resistant to the acid of the Formica, and use their mandibles to kill. They release propaganda pheromones that confuse the enemies.

Soon, the raiders find the larvae room. They grab hundreds in their mandibles, and carry them away. Wait a second, though. How are Polyergus actually turning ants into slaves?

Act Two – The Brainwashing

After the larvae are abducted, they are bought into the slave room, which is filled with Polyergus enslavers. The pupae are covered in Polyergus pheromones, and are chemically imprinted with slave chemicals.

When the ants hatch, they act as Polyergus ants – they hunt, care, and clean for their masters without any mind of their own. They are not true slaves, as they show no interest in freedom. They will even attack other free Formica ants.

Act Three – A New Colony

How are new Polyergus colonies created? After all, Polyergus workers are so incapable that a queen can’t start a new colony without slaves. How does she get those slaves? There are two main strategies:

Scenario One:

A queen slips into a Formica Colony during a raid. She quickly uses the chaos to find the Formica Queen. She then kills her, becoming the queen of the Formica colony.

Scenario Two:

A young queen finds a far-away Formica colony, and attacks. She bolts through an entrance, shoving aside workers with her powerful pheromones. She finds the Formica Queen and fights until she kills her. She then licks the queen pheromones of the dead queen and uses the scent to subdue the Formica ants into believing her the queen.

These are the horrors of the slaver ants. However, they can’t hurt you.