Fourmis ouvrières, "Lasius niger", dans leur nid construit en conditions expérimentales

Worker ants, Lasius niger, moving in their nest built in experimental conditions and consisting of pellets of earth that they make, clearly identifiable in the image. Research scientists have discovered that ants deposit onto each of these pellets a pheromone that governs the entire dynamics of construction, the growth and the shape of the nests. If weather conditions (heat, wind) result in rapid evaporation of this chemical substance, the ants, which deposit the earth where the pheromone is located, will build larger chambers that will retain moisture. It is this remarkable ability to adapt their habitat to their environment, especially the external weather conditions, that is of particular interest to the research scientists. They are trying to understand how these insects, guided by their collective intelligence, manage to build very elaborate structures while exhibiting simple individual behaviour.