Dorymyrmex bicolor

Behavior

''Dorymyrmex bicolor'' regularly interacts with three different species of ''Myrmecocystus'', another genus of ants. Between the two genera of ants, in the southwestern region, there is much overlap of food sources and space between ''Dorymyrmex bicolor'' and ''Myrmecocystus''. The ''Myrmecocystus'' ants secrete a substance from their poison gland onto a food source they find in order to repel other ants.''Dorymyrmex bicolor'' exhibits a different type of interference behavior. The workers of ''Dorymyrmex bicolor'' will surround the entrance to a nest of ''Myrmecocystus'' and will drop stones and other objects down the entrance, in an attempt to block the entrance. As many as 10-30 workers of ''Dorymyrmex bicolor'' have been observed to drop stones in an opposing nest, but only 5 workers are required to drop stones and other small objects at an efficient rate that will affect the ''Myrmecocystu''s nest. The number of ''Dorymyrmex bicolor'' workers in an area will have a reducing effect on the number of ''Myrmecocystus'' workers in an area, sometimes to drastic effects.