Creepy Dangers of the Undergrowth

mikeimp91

Larva
Backer
Hey, guys! Me again. Yet another topic I would like to suggest, only instead of you run-of-the-mill Tiger Beetles and Devil's Coach Horses, I would like to suggest something almost alien in regards to a colony's threat. Parasites.

"What do you mean?" I hear you asking. Well, since playing EotU I have been watching more and more videos by AntsCanada. One of which reminded me that there are dangers in the Undergrowth that are sometimes overlooked.

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomopathogenic_fungus) Zombie ant fungi. Now, the ants we will be controlling are a brand new species, so they normally wouldn't be targeted by Entomopathogenic fungi that target specific species. However, perhaps with the reward of splicing other species' DNA into your brood, comes with a terrible risk. First, the spores are showered onto passing ants. This fungus needs to reproduce, and the only way it can is to break through the exoskeleton and effectively turn its host into a zombie. At the final stages, it will force the ant to climb to a high point and then clamp down on a surface to secure the body. Then, it will release its spores and begin the cycle all over again. I think that there should also be ways to combat, or at least prevent fungal outbreaks in your colony. With a keen eye, you can notice symptoms in some of your workers or soldiers. If you act swiftly, you can remove the ant from your nest and deposit them in a location where there is no risk for it to spread.

Phorid Flies: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoridae) A natural enemy of fire ants, these flies are parasitic in that the females target fire ants and slam into one's thorax each time they deposit an egg. During the gestation period, the maggots will reside inside the thorax until it is time to emerge. In doing so, each fire ant is decapitated and the fly will crawl out to complete its transformation. A decent way to combat this threat is when you notice some Phorid Flies nearby, simply have your fire ants retreat to the inside of the nest. If you do not act fast enough, it will be too late and you could potentially lose hundreds of ants.

There are more that I have in mind, but I will talk about them at a later time if this thread gains more interest. Thank you!
 

Planemaster

Worker
I believe the fungi are already going to be implemented in the game but I've never heard of the flies so I'm not sure about that.
 
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