Once locating her, the parasitic ant sprays her with a foul-smelling chemical. “The parasitic ants exploit that ability to recognize odors, we believe, by spraying formic acid to disguise the queen’s normal scent with a repugnant one. In some instances, she’ll return multiple times to continue tossing formic acid on the original queen to ensure her murder. After the target is assassinated and removed, the parasitic ant queen assumes the throne and begins laying her own eggs. Ecologists have previously reported this social parasitic behavior to exist, but Takasuka’s team is the first to capture the entire revolution on video.