Black Ants' Diet

Other Insects

• Although their sting merely produces a burning sensation in humans, it is quite deadly to other creatures their size. Black ants use this to their advantage, hunting down prey and killing competition. Their skill at hunting gives them a staple of proteins and nutrients while also removing other insects that might deplete their primary food sources.

Honeydew

• Aphids are small green herbivorous insects that live on the undersides of leaves. Many gardeners consider them pests, while other insects like ladybugs consider them food. Their only true defense are ants, including carpenter ants and other species, which are drawn to them because of the honeydew they excrete from their abdomens. In exchange for eating the honeydew, the ants protect the aphids from carnivorous threats. This behavior is comparable to the human tendency to herd protect cattle in exchange for milk.

Sugar

• Carpenter ants are known for their sweet tooth and will swarm candies, donuts, and other sugary treats dropped in their vicinity. Fruits and fruit juices are also subject to their attention, and if left unattended can be broken down and carried away with astonishing speed.

Wood

• Although carpenter ants are know for burrowing into wood, they do not actually eat it. Instead, they use these wooden tunnels for housing, carving elaborate networks of tunnels and chambers for food storage and tending to their young. Although in nature they burrow into trees, in civilized areas they're just as likely to carve their home out of a wooden facade or structural beam. For this reason, some home owners consider them a pest similar to termites.

Communality

• No carpenter ant is on her own when she has her colony. Rather than foraging for just themselves, worker ants will bring their finds back to the colony to be shared with everyone. This allows carpenter ants to stratify themselves into a basic division of labor, with some ants focusing on foraging while others tend to the young or defend the hive. Those ants that are unable to find food will not necessarily go hungry, as long as other members of the hive succeed.

Interdependence

• Even if ants had the drive to feed themselves before feeding the colony, the carpenter ant does not have that option when it comes to solid foods, as adult carpenter ants are incapable of ingesting solid foods on their own. Instead, the food is brought back to the colony and given to the ant larvae. The larvae process the solid food and then regurgitate a liquid nutrient that can nourish adult ants. This trade-off ensures that carpenter ants share their food and aid the young in their development.