Dumping behaviour of Australian desert ants (Melophorus bagoti) (Hymenoptera:Formicidae)

Abstract The Central Australian desert ant Melophorus bagoti maintains ground-nesting colonies in the semi-desert habitat. These ants manage waste by dumping items outside nest. To examine this process, we placed organic and non-organic materials that are associated with either low or high pathogenic risk around into nest observed nest’s response. We found generally, dumped high-pathogenic-risk (dead larvae, dead of colony, foraged food, moth, non-nest cicada exoskeleton) further from than low-pathogenic-risk ones (sand, buffel grass, cookies), exception (organic) larval shells their own nest, which were also close to This pattern suggests these choose distance based on how spoilable experimental are.