Tomer J. Czaczkes

Below-ground ants follow pheromones more quickly under dark conditions, but pheromones do not affect decision accuracy nor aggression

The paper tests how below-ground ants navigate using pheromones in different conditions and finds they move faster underground but pheromones don't affect decision accuracy or aggression.

Urban Lasius niger ants more readily accept low concentration sucrose solution than rural ants

This study finds urban Lasius niger ants accept lower concentration sucrose solutions more readily than rural ants, suggesting potential nutritional stress.

Interindividual variability in flower pickiness by foraging bumblebees

This study shows that bumblebees adapt their foraging behavior based on early flower experiences, with some becoming more selective and others less, but all achieving similar sucrose intake rates over time.

A high-throughput and sensitive method for food preference assays in the Argentine ant

This paper introduces a high-throughput dual-choice feeder method to measure food preference in Argentine ants, showing it can detect lower quinine aversion levels than traditional methods.

No decoy effect in bees: rewardless flowers do not increase bumblebees' preference for neighbouring flowers

This study tests if rewardless flowers act as decoys for bumblebees, finding they do not increase preference for neighboring flowers but are quickly avoided.

Bumblebees do not prefer consistent floral scents over variable ones

This study tests whether bumblebees prefer flowers with consistent scents over variable ones, finding no preference for scent consistency.

Palatability of Insecticides and Protein in Sugar Solutions to Argentine Ants

This study evaluates the palatability of insecticides and egg white protein in sugar solutions to Argentine ants, finding that toxicants are not unpalatable but egg protein is.

Testing the peak-end rule in bumblebees: lack of preference for a higher-reward sequence when the final reward is disappointing

This study tests the peak-end rule in bumblebees by comparing their preference for sequences of rewards with and without a disappointing final reward, finding no preference for the sequence with higher total reward.

Queens from a unique hyper-dense Lasius niger population tolerate pleometrosis better than queens from a 'normal' population

The study compares queen survival in pleometrotic groups from a hyper-dense and normal Lasius niger population, finding higher survival in the hyper-dense population.

Invasive ants fed spinosad collectively recruit to known food faster yet individually abandon food earlier

This study shows that invasive ants exposed to spinosad abandon food faster individually but collectively still prefer familiar odors, suggesting they do not develop conditioned taste aversion to the pesticide.

Three-dimensional body reconstruction enables quantification of liquid consumption in small invertebrates

This paper introduces a method to quantify liquid consumption in small invertebrates using 3D body reconstruction and DeepLabCut, showing accurate volumetric change measurements and feeding responses to sucrose and caffeine solutions.

Information synergy: adding unambiguous quality information rescues social information use in ants

The paper shows that adding unambiguous quality information rescues social information use in ants when conflicting with private information.