Chapter 2:

Honeypot Ant

 

Insect Info:

Next on the list of edible insects is the honeypot ant. This specie of ant has specialized worker ants (repletes) that are gorged on food causing their abdomens to swell, which then provides nutrition to the other ants in times of famine. Honeypot ants are therefore a kind of living larder for their colonies, though they can also provide a sweet treat for people in desert regions across the globe.

The abdomen of the replete is swollen with a nectar-like fluid that can become so large that often ants are unable to leave the nest (a replete can increase its body weight up to eight times). During wetter weather, other worker ants begin feeding repletes to fatten them up for use in drier weather when food is scarce. Mostly, the repletes are fed nectar and other sugary plant fluids, as well as aphid honeydew and small insects. Often, competing colonies invade one another with the victor taking control of the other’s nest and food supply, including the engorged repletes.

Several species are found in western parts of the U.S, as well as in New Mexico, Arizona, and arid and semi-arid regions, particularly on the edges of desert and sometimes in dry woodland. More recently in America, people have been known to farm honeypot ants for human consumption. Honeypot ants can be identified in various colors, including green and blue, as well as in different sizes. Often, they are dark red in color and measure 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in length. They can always be identified by their abdominal swellings.

How To Eat:

Honeypot ants have been eaten by humans in various desert regions. In the Australian Outback, aboriginal people have been known to eat honeypot ants as a delicacy. Finding water-based sustenance when living in or moving through desert areas can be especially difficult for ants and humans alike, so honeypot ants provide a welcome and refreshing treat.

In the case of the aboriginal people of the Australian Outback, Camponotus inflatus, a type of honeypot ant, are dug up from the ground and eaten raw. Honeypot ants live for most of their lives underground and must therefore be dug up. You might have to dig 3-5 feet down though, and you will have to contend with agitated ants as you dig.

The taste of a honeypot ant is determined by what it has been fed and can vary in sweetness. Typically, honeypot ants are made up of natural sugars and water, which of course are vital resources in the wild.