Communication
Communication among insects is extremely important for their survival, especially for insects that live in complex colonies.
Ants
Ants, all of which are social, are an example of insects that use a variety of methods to communicate with one another.
Pheromones
By releasing chemical signals, called pheromones, ants guide others in their colony to food sources, warn them of danger, mark territory, and identify themselves. Pheromones emitted by the queen ant are often crucial to a colony’s success.
With certain ants, such as leaf-cutters (genus Atta), the queen's signals tell members of all the different castes what to do. For this reason, some colonies go into disarray and collapse shortly after the queen dies. Also, a colony is likely to die after the queen dies as she is the only female that can produce eggs, and queens are generally not replaced.
Sound
In addition to emitting chemical signals, many species of ant also use sound to communicate with one another. Using a variety of methods, such as clicking their mandibles or knocking their heads against solid objects, ants can produce squeaks and grating noises that are sometimes even audible to humans. Nearby ants get the message, which is often one of alarm, by detecting the sound vibrations.
Touch
Another way ants communicate is through touch. They use their antennae, head or legs to make contact with one another. Ants that have discovered a large food source, for example, will sometimes hit other ants to get their attention.
Other Insects
Many other insects use some of these same methods to communicate. The peacock moth (Semiothisa notata) is renowned for its ability to detect mating-related pheromones from miles away. Honeybees (Apis mellifera) perform dance-like rituals to tell other bees the direction and distance of a newly discovered food source.
Another familiar form of insect communication is the loud chirping produced by crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, cicadas, and other insects. In most of these species, the males emit calls as a means of attracting females and repelling rival males. Some of these insects produce sound by rubbing body parts together, a process called stridulation. Crickets and katydids rub their wings together while grasshoppers rub their legs against their wings. But cicadas vibrate membranes (called timbals) in their abdomen instead of stridulating, which produces their distinctive, song-like calls. Many beetles, ants and other insects communicate by stridulating, but their calls are often inaudible to humans.
