Temporary Parasitism

Temporary social parasites establish new colonies with the assistance of a host species. A queen of the parasite enters the nest of the host and chemically tricks the host workers into adopting her. The intruding queen kills or drives off the host queen and begins to lay her own eggs. Host workers remain in the colony and tend both their own eggs and the eggs of the new queen. Over time the host workers are replaced with workers from the new queen and the colony becomes completely populated by the new queen's offspring.

The biology of Lasius umbratus provides natural history information about one representative temporarily parasitic ant.

Known Temporary Parasites

Temporary Parasite	Host	Locality	Source	Notes
Formica dakotensis	Formica fusca
Formica dakotensis	Formica lepida
Formica dakotensis	Formica montana
Formica dakotensis	Formica pallidefulva
Formica dakotensis	Formica subsericea
Formica difficilis	Formica incerta
Formica exsecta	Formica fusca
Formica exsecta	Formica lemani
Formica forsslundi	Formica transkaucasica
Formica obscuripes	Formica pacifica
Formica ulkei	Formica fusca
Formica uralensis	Formica transkaucasica
Pseudomyrmex seminole	Pseudomyrmex pallidus		Ward, 1985