Pheromone Trails

December 13, 2014

PTrailsRotated

Photographer: Dave Lynch
Summary Author: Dave Lynch

Like every other creature traveling overland, ants clear obstacles and debris from their path to make their passage easier. At first the path is sinuous and irregular (left photo), but in time more efficient shortcuts are found. The path straightens out until it's nearly straight (right photo). Ants leave trails of chemical scents called pheromones to guide their sisters who follow later, eventually becoming a well-worn path.