Why cannibal queens make a meal of fungus-ridden larvae

Many species of animal eat their own young in certain circumstances. However, scientists report that queen black garden ants (Lasius niger) eat offspring in a seemingly unappetizing state: when the larvae are infected with a fungus¹. By doing so, the queens contain a potentially lethal pathogen before it can spread and, as a bonus, recoup some of the energy they expended to produce the larvae in the first place.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03092-z

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