Some parasitic ant queens have evolved to infiltrate other colonies and induce worker ants to kill their own queen. This behavior highlights a unique form of manipulation in the animal kingdom.

Researchers have discovered that parasitic ant queens, such as Lasius orientalis and Lasius umbratus, can infiltrate the colonies of other ant species and manipulate the worker ants into committing matricide. This process involves the parasitic queen acquiring the colony's odor to avoid detection. Once inside, she sprays the resident queen with a fluid, likely formic acid, which triggers the workers to attack their queen. After the host queen is killed, the parasitic queen lays her eggs, benefiting from the existing resources of the colony. This study is the first to document such a unique form of manipulation, where offspring are induced to kill their mother, and researchers plan to explore if similar behaviors exist in other insects.