They are thought to be associated with harvester ants of the Messor genus.
The seeds of this annual are a species collected by various species of harvester ants.
Meanwhile, desert-dwelling harvester ants block up nearby nests in an effort to maximise their food pickings.
Gordon studies ant colony behavior and ecology, with a particular focus on red harvester ants.
The researchers studied red harvester ants, a desert species.
The Students wanted to see how microgravity might affect ant behavior, so they placed 15 harvester ants in a transparent, gelatinous habitat.
The most common types of stinging ants are fire ants and harvester ants.
They eat mostly harvester ants, and can eat twenty-five hundred ants in one meal.
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis individuals are colloquially known as western harvester ants.
Like other harvester ants, Messor pergandei gathers fruits and seeds for food.