Ants are social animals. They communicate with each other using a chemical scent called pheromones. They rely on pheromones to defend territories and exchange information such as the location of food sources and nest sites. Like other insects, ants perceive smells with their long and thin antennae. The antennae provide information about the direction and intensity of scents.
In species that forage in groups, a forager marks a scent trail to find its way back to its colony – similar to Hansel from Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail of bread crumbs through the woods to find his way back home. On the way back to the nest carrying food, the ant creates a trail with an even stronger scent. This trail is followed by other ants. These followers then reinforce the trail when they head back with food to the colony. Thus ants are often seen marching one after the other.
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