Many people show interest in expensive jewelry and costly products prepared from gold, but a few insects, like ants, also collect this expensive metal for different purposes.
Are Ants Attracted To Gold? Ants are not attracted to gold because it does not provide any nutrition and energy. However, Desert ants and larger species of these insects collect gold and bring it back to their nests as it can help create durable nests.
Gold is a non-edible and rigid material, but still, ants carry its small pieces on their tiny backs and direct their trails back to the nests.
Why are ants not attracted to gold?
Ants are typically attracted to food or water sources because their primary goal is to collect food for the colony and ensure its survival in favorable or harsh conditions.
Gold does not provide nutrition and moisture to these insects, so they ignore it and look for other food particles in the surrounding areas.
Moreover, this inert metal does not provide any nutritional benefits to insects.
It does not help them by providing a source of material required to nourish their tiny muscular bodies. In addition, metallic gold has no odor or taste, making it difficult for ants to find.
Their smell receptors identify food sources by smelling them and allow these insects to get attracted to a particular food source.
However, they cannot detect it by its odor because this metal is odorless and difficult to chew for ants.
It is a non-digestible material as their digestive systems are adapted to digest soft food particles. It is not compatible with their digestive system, which is relatively simpler and digests simpler foods.
Furthermore, it does not fulfill their requirements like it offers no benefits to survival and colony development.
So, they are not attracted to gold because it is odorless, dense, non-porous, and non-digestible material that is not considered beneficial for these tiny insects after consumption.
Do ants carry gold to nest?
Ants are pretty intelligent and powerful creatures because they can lift heavy objects back to their nests to use them for building nests. They need hard and durable materials to build long-lasting nests.
Accordingly, they carry twigs, leaves, and other metals to their nests and mix them with soil particles to strengthen the walls of chambers.
They consider gold a fragment of the earth because they have no affinity to this metal. They carry it back to their nests when dragging soil particles or other hard materials.
It is used to construct nest chambers and small tunnels within the underground chamber. Moreover, these usually use it to create nest cones and mix them with soil to create an opening of the nest.
Moreover, it is a durable material that is resistant to changing climatic conditions and retains its texture for many years. This durability makes it a perfect nesting material to mix with soil.
It adds strength and provides a suitable shape to the nest, so foragers carry its chunks in their mouths and take them back to their nests.
However, it is pretty heavy due to its larger mass, which makes it difficult for tiny ants to carry it on their backs. So, they drag larger pieces of gold by working together.
A large number of worker ants drag it with their tiny bodies because it is difficult to chew the non-porous material with their teeth.
Do ants help detect gold?
Various tools are available for digging the soil and detecting the gold present deep into the soil, including cradles and shovels.
Moreover, it can be a little bit astonishing for you to know that these insects can replace the tools used for detecting gold reserves under the ground.
Termites and ants are known to dig into the soil, and both insects can help detect it. A few species of termites and ants build their nests under the soil, while others live above the ground.
A few researchers tested soil samples taken from mounds of ants or termites and found the presence of gold residues in the soil. It indicates that both insects carry it and add it to their nest walls.
In addition, ants are good at detecting it because a large concentration of gold material is present in their nests compared to termites.
Almost 24.4 parts per billion of gold were present in their nests at the time of the study, while termite mounds had only 7.4 to 8.4 parts per billion.
In the same way, they also move this metal, in addition to many other objects, vertically up to the ground surface and use it to build nest cones.
So, you can estimate the presence of gold by locating the ants’ nests because it is a modern solution to replace the costly activities of exploring the sites.
What type of ants are attracted to gold?
Different types of insects show varying attraction towards gold because they live in different habitats, requiring different types of food and shelter.
Carpenter ants do not live under the ground and build their nests within firewood or other wooden logs, usually present above the ground in lawns or backyards.
However, some species build deeper nests within the soil and create underground tunnels. Some are gold-digging ants that collect and use it to build soil mounds.
Desert ant species are more likely to collect gold from the deserts and use it to construct their nests. It indicates that they are attracted to it but have no affinity for this metal.
Moreover, they cannot differentiate between soil particles and gold material and use it for nest building by considering it a fragment of earth.
In addition, a few people consider that golden ants are particularly named for their ability to collect gold or add it to their diet, but this is not true.
These are named for their body color, which appears yellowish to golden or light brown. Furthermore, this metal is quite heavy as it is almost twice the lead weight.
Larger ant species usually do this task and collect gold in their colonies.
These species include Amazonian ants, bulldog ants, safari, weaver ants, and many other insects belonging to a formicine group that can potentially drag a piece of this metal.
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