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awild | March 14, 2010
To create this video, I fed honey water to a captive colony of Camponotus pennsylvanicus carpenter ants and recorded them passing the liquid among nestmates. The sharing behavior is called trophallaxis, and it means more to ants than mere nutrition. They use the behavior to spread chemical messages around the nest and to create a unified colony odor.
As a case in point, near the end of the video workers are visible licking the queen. Her scents are picked up this way and passed around the colony via trophallaxis. It's how the ants know the queen is present and reproducing.
For the record, I…
awild | January 24, 2010
Here's something new. Instead of trawling youtube to find the Sunday Night Movie, I've made my own. Click above to watch the compressed version, or if you have a speedy connection click here to see it in full HD glory.
I spent the afternoon experimenting with the video capabilities of the new Canon EOS 7d. The 7d is the newest camera in Canon's SLR lineup, and unlike earlier models it can shoot high-definition video as well as stills.
I've been very curious to see how the video performs with my macro lenses. A lab colony of Odontomachus chelifer trap-jaw ants at the University proved patient…