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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Chemical Cocktail Turns Argentine Ants Against Each Other


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Argentine ants (black) attack a seed-harvesting ant native to California. Scientists say the South American insects have formed a massive "supercolony" in California, driving out native ant species and threatening crops and other animals.

Researchers studying the Argentine ants' scents are working on a chemical cocktail that can turn members of the supercolony against one another, potentially eliminating the invasive threat.

Photograph courtesy Alex Wild