At the edge of forests in Cameroon, scientists have discovered that a common African ant (Crematogaster striatula) deploys a powerful venom from their stingers to kill termites. A remote application that is very effective.
This is the first study to report that the toxicity of the Dufour gland contents leads to the irreversible paralysis of termites without direct contact occurring between the ants and the prey.
The scientists say the results of the study are quite promising because they provide a basis from which further studies can be conducted in the search for natural insecticides, including new molecules effective against insects resistant to currently-used insecticides. They add that once the paralysing substance has been successfully identified, a synthetic product can be created that has numerous applications, something that is easier to do with volatile chemicals than with alkaloids.
Journal reference
Paralyzing Action from a Distance in an Arboreal African Ant Species
Aline Rifflet,Nathan Tene, Jerome Orivel, Michel Treilhou, Alain Dejean and Angelique Vetillard
PLoS ONE 6(12): e28571. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0028571
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