Fungus in Ants’ Clothing

Carpenter ants are very active this time of the year setting up satellite nests in people’s homes so they can over winter their eggs. With so many shows about zombies out there now, I thought that this one would be fitting. I came across an interesting article about carpenter ants that get infected by a fungus, which in turn become zombie ants and then have no control over its body. Influenced by the parasite, an infected ant leaves its nest and goes to the forest floor which is more suitable for fungal development. After the zombiefied ant finds the underside of a leaf, it attaches itself by biting into the foliage. Once the ant anchors itself to the leaf, the fungus continues to cultivate and grow inside the ant eventually penetrating through the head and releasing its fungal spores. Within a couple weeks, the fungus has completed its cycle and waits for the next ant. When the fungus enters the ant, it controls the actions of the ant by penetrating and surrounding muscle fibers throughout the ant’s body. The Zombie ant becomes part insect and part fungus. Once the fungus is satisfied with its location the brain is turned into a fungal gel and the spores leave through the head.

Gogreenpestcontrol.ca Ladner Tsawwassen Delta B.C. Randy Bilesky

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fungus-ants-clothing-randy-bilesky/?published=t

http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-fungus-in-ants-clothing-1.23090668

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