Mindless? Part 2

I previously wrote about what ants can do that appears selfless by carrying back their disabled comrades. It turned out that ants' cooperation can be greater than one can believe.

One common scourge of ants is fungus. Infected ants usually die and spread the spores within the nest. For the more unlucky, they will turn into zombies first. Certain ant species combat the fungus by grooming the infected ants. This in turns infects the groomer who then needs to be groomed by other ants. This social grooming has two benefits. The "patient zero" ants have a better chance of survival as their fungal infection is not as serious. The other ants that have a reduced exposure gain the opportunity to be inoculated against the fungus infection.

If an ant is dying, it will usually try to leave the nest. (Similar to the "long walk" that Judges in 2000AD.) This hastens its demise as it is no longer able to get sustenance. This selfless sacrifice reduce the dying ant from infecting its nest. If the ant were to die in the vicinity of the nest, it will be carried by the other ants acting as undertakers.