Ecotasia's video: WAR for your Backyard The Sidewalk Battles of Pavement Ants

Each Spring urban backyards become the battle fields of imported pavement ants. (Tetramorium) these ants are fierce warriors that have EPIC battles on sidewalks. The more territory a colony holds the more elates they can produce, and so increase the reproductive success of the colony. The stakes could hardly be higher. Ants square up and grasp their opponent by their mandibles, wrestling for domination. After the war has ended the pavement is littered with bodies and the wounded. They are invaders from Europe, however they may actually be beneficial. These ants are so aggressive and such accomplished fighters, they can defeat and destroy young Red Imported fire ant colonies, a species that is very destructive to native species, and capable of giving a burning sting. This may be halting the fire ant from expanding further north. Sources Sanada-Morimura, S., Satoh, T. & Obara, Y. Insect. Soc. (2006) Territorial behavior and temperature preference for nesting sites in a pavement ant Tetramorium tsushimae. Insectes Sociaux 53: 141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00040-005-0849-2 Hoover, Kevin M., et al. “The Organization of Societal Conflicts by Pavement AntsTetramorium Caespitum: an Agent-Based Model of Amine-Mediated Decision Making.” Current Zoology, vol. 62, no. 3, 2016, pp. 277–284., doi:10.1093/cz/zow041. “Pavement Ant - Tetramorium Caespitum (Linnaeus).” Pavement Ant - Tetramorium Caespitum (Linnaeus), University of Florida Entomology Department, entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/ANTS/pavement_ant.htm. Jacobs, Ste. “Pavement Ant (Department of Entomology).” Department of Entomology (Penn State University), Pennsylvania State University, 2000, ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pavement-ant. If you like animals and nature Please Subscribe and Like This is Backyard Expeditions. Here you can find wildlife footage and short documentaries on the natural world. Nature is full of surprises, often amazing things are happening just feet from you door. I am a biology student who was inspired by the likes of the BBC natural history unit, PBS, and animal planet as a Child. I have also long been a hobbyist photographer, filming interesting things over time. My goal is to document interesting behavior and highlight interesting species I encounter both in exotic locations, and on backyard expeditions. Underwater Worlds https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZAJNusnxcNoHUx_sNDYT92k Journey through the Undergrowth (Macro footage of insects and Arachnids) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZC-4h2hpK09I-FF563TQzlc Birding Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZAYjq78IuGJI4wc0GXDRHTd Conservation Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYx5OP7sbAZAIUm5UCl84q2KU2nI3YLpx also Check Out my Photography Adventure Blog https://johnjacksonphoto.blogspot.com/