Locomotory efficiency in ants using structural guidelines (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)

Spatial orientation in five species of ants was described by measurements o f trail length and percentage of trail along structural guidelines (edges, grooves, crestlines). In the absence of structural guidelines, carpenter an t trails were essentially straight. Carpenter ants traveled significantly f aster on structural guidelines than on the ground through vegetation. As am bient temperature decreased, ants slowed down more quickly when traveling t hrough vegetation compared with ants traveling on structural guidelines. A detour experiment indicates that ants save on both time and energy by using structural guidelines.