Parasitic ant queen chemically manipulates workers into killing their mother

An intruding Lasius orientalis queen (left) gains access to the host queen of L. flavus for first contact. Yuji Tanaka/Current Biology/Takasuka et al.

Scientists say they have for the first time unlocked how a parasitic ant uses chemical warfare to take over the nest of a different species, by tricking workers into an unlikely assassination.

The deadly scheme unfolds like a Shakespearean drama. In an ant colony, the queen is dying, under attack by her own daughters. Meanwhile, the true enemy — an invader queen from another ant species — waits on the sidelines. Her plan is simple: Infiltrate the nest and use chemical weapons brewed inside her body to deceive the worker ants into mistaking their rightful ruler for an imposter.

In a few hours, the nest’s queen will fall. Once the forme