Allocation of liquid food to larvae via trophallaxis in colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta 

@article{Cassill1995AllocationOL,
  title={Allocation of liquid food to larvae via trophallaxis in colonies of the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta
},
  author={Deby Lee Cassill and Walter R. Tschinkel},
  journal={Animal Behaviour},
  year={1995},
  volume={50},
  pages={801-813}
}
Abstract In social insects, the size, caste and reproductive capacity of adults is determined in part by nutrition during larval development. Among ants, workers bring food to immobile larvae, giving workers potential control over larval nutrition, and making social feeding a potential mechanism of individual and colony ontogeny. During each regurgitation (trophallaxis), workers feed larvae the same, small increment of liquid food, regardless of larval attributes and conditions. Therefore… Expand
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