1999.09.22 Why do ants fight even if they look the same?

Even same species of different colonies have a "different" chemical odor (signature) ants are sensitive to this and generally will attack to defend their colony and territory. --Mr. Ant

However, some species are friendly to each other. The relationship between colonies of Formica polyctena is friendly. They have a so-called alliance of colonies. Between such colonies, there are zones away from the home nest of different behaviors.

For example: In the first zone, the ant from it was fed by the workers from the other colony. In the second, the ant got caught, transported, and included in the other colony. In the third zone, the ant got killed. Super colonies, a bunch of different colonies with friendly relationships could be very big.

CHERIX (1980) found a supercolony of 1200 nests from Formica lugubris in Switzerland. There were four types of nests: capital nests, secondary nests, seasonal nests, and fresh new build nests (colonies). HIGASHI (1978) told that Formica yessensis worker visited without being killed or even fought a nest of another colony of yessensis. Some workers even visited the inside of the colony and without getting fed. It also was not a relationship between mother and daughter colonies, but between old colonies. --Jinei