The Ruthless Courtesy of Ants

Here’s a program from our archives.
Ambience, Japanese music
In the Japanese language, the word for ant is written combining the characters for altruism, propriety, justice and courtesy. But is that really an accurate picture of the ant? I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.

Wilson: The Japanese ideogram that combines in it the various virtues of human society — not far off the target with reference to the way ants treat each other in the same colony. Far off the target, though, the way they treat other ants of the same species. They’re pretty aggressive towards each other and, in fact, ruthless, and if we followed the ants’ example at the level of work the relationship between tribes, we’d be in constant war.”

Edward Wilson is the Baird Professor of Science and Curator of Entomology at Harvard University. He is also one of the world’s foremost authorities on ants.

Wilson: Many kinds of ants engage in constant warfare with neighboring colonies of the same species. They met them out on the foraging grounds where they’re all hunting for food and repel each other by recruiting forces of workers that overwhelm smaller groups of adversaries. They organize, in some cases, raids on neighboring colonies and actually penetrate and destroy the queen and eat the larvae. And in some cases, they conduct battles, raging battles, along long fronts, involving tens of thousands of workers, with the losers, adults and offspring, getting eaten by the winners, an important form of protein for the successful ant colonies. It’s a real tough world out there among the ants.”

This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet

The Ruthless Courtesy of Ants

The world's foremost authority on ants reveals how they can be courteous towards relatives but merciless to outsiders.

Air Date:03/11/2022

Scientist:

Transcript:

The Ruthless Courtesy of Ants Here’s a program from our archives. Ambience, Japanese music In the Japanese language, the word for ant is written combining the characters for altruism, propriety, justice and courtesy. But is that really an accurate picture of the ant? I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Wilson: The Japanese ideogram that combines in it the various virtues of human society -- not far off the target with reference to the way ants treat each other in the same colony. Far off the target, though, the way they treat other ants of the same species. They're pretty aggressive towards each other and, in fact, ruthless, and if we followed the ants' example at the level of work the relationship between tribes, we'd be in constant war." Edward Wilson is the Baird Professor of Science and Curator of Entomology at Harvard University. He is also one of the world's foremost authorities on ants. Wilson: Many kinds of ants engage in constant warfare with neighboring colonies of the same species. They met them out on the foraging grounds where they're all hunting for food and repel each other by recruiting forces of workers that overwhelm smaller groups of adversaries. They organize, in some cases, raids on neighboring colonies and actually penetrate and destroy the queen and eat the larvae. And in some cases, they conduct battles, raging battles, along long fronts, involving tens of thousands of workers, with the losers, adults and offspring, getting eaten by the winners, an important form of protein for the successful ant colonies. It's a real tough world out there among the ants." This archival program is part of our thirtieth anniversary celebration. If you want hear more, check out our podcast. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet