Camponotus nicobarensis
Common name: Sugar Ants.
These ants have
a distinct minor and major worker caste.
The minor workers which make up the bulk
of the colony are black with varying degrees
of brown markings and about 5 to 7
mm in length. The major workers are 7 to
9 mm long and are easily distinguishable
by their larger head which is usually red
/ orange in color.
They have no sting
and although they are capable of giving a
bite it is not very painful. They rely on
a chemical defense which can be quite pungent
- especially in enclosed areas. They are
not overly aggressive towards other ant species
but drive them away by outcompeting them
for any available food.
They are a nocturnal
species preferring to do their foraging at
night, although in times of food shortage
and on overcast days they can be found foraging
during daylight hours. They feed on a wide
variety of foods but seem to prefer dead
insects in preference to confronting live
ones. They are particularly fond of sugary
excretions and will often make temporary
camp sites near regular sources of food,
enabling them to call on reserves quickly
if the food supply is threatened.
They are mostly
opportune nesters preferring to form colonies
in readymade cavities as opposed to constructing
a nest in the ground. They will happily form
nests in a wide variety of locations such
as hollow bricks, under plant pots and
planks of wood, in dead bamboo stems and
even inside door locks!
The queens are distinctly
larger than the worker caste at around 12
to 14 mm and can vary in color, not only
between different nests but also within the
same nest. Some queens have distinct red
heads and abdomens while others seem
to be nearly all black in coloration.
The queens are quite
capable of establishing their own colony
and once a colony is established it
can over time become very large. One colony
I have been observing in the wild for several
years has grown to such a size that their
foraging activity at night resembles the
European wood ant with thousands of workers
foraging on long well worn trails.
This species is
Polygynous and as the colonies increase in
size they will allow newly mated queens
to enter the nest and then will frequently
form sub nests in any convenient nesting
place. With this method this species is one
of those that without any limiting factors
could just carry on expanding into enormous
super colonies.
They are also capable
of acoustical communication although this
is often never noticed because of the type
of artificial nest used to house them. On
a solid non resonating substrate no sound
will be produced, however on a medium such
as dry leaves the ants can produce an audible
drumming sound. This is caused by the ants
knocking their heads / bodies against the
substratum and is used primarily for an alarm
signal with the vibrations being quickly
picked up by any other nearby workers.
