I don't expect anyone to identify them but perhaps a clue to their behavior. I came across these ants swarming on an outdoor step. They were racing round and round in a clockwise direction. The circular pattern remained constant for the several minutes I continued to watch.
It's called an 'ant mill' or 'spiral of death' - This usually occurs with ant species that navigate primarily by scent (chemoreception) than by sight when an ant at the head of a column somehow veers far enough off course that it intersects the scent trail previously left behind - https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2011/02/22/133810924/circling-themselves-to-death
Very interesting but why "spiral of death"? Do they die from doing this?
Very interesting but why "spiral of death"? Do they die from doing this?
