2002.01.10 Can ants talk or communicate?
Yes. Ants often hold meetings. When an ant wants to attract the attention of another ant, it taps that ant on the head with its antennas/feelers. Ants communicate by chemical, touch, sound, smell, and sight. --UMI
Ants also can relay sounds by tapping their body against a part of the nest. I believe some carpenters do this. The other methods involve jerking movements, sometimes one will pull another with its mandibles (I've personally observed this with workers wanting to move a queen from one place in nest to another).
Chemicals equally are important -- some release chemicals on finding food (laying a trail back to food source) -- others when they encounter a foreign nest. --Mr. Ant
Atta and Acromyrmex (leaf-cutters) have a stridulatory organ. A sharp scraper rubs against a file of transverse ridges. All acoustical alarms like stridulating or knocking always comes together with chemical alarms. They do not work by themselves, but as a compound together with the chemical alarm. --Jinei
Ants are thought to communicate in a number of ways. This varies from species to species, some using all of them, others relying on one. Chemicals are used to relay messages as well as leave trails for other ants to follow. This can lead to freshly killed prey, a water source, nectar or other food source, insects which can be farmed such as aphids, other ants which can be friendly or hostile, or other insects and threats to the ants such as termites. Touch, sound, smell, and sight can also be used. --Richard Smith
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