ANT HONEY HEALS
he Australian honeypot ant is found throughout desert areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Among the worker ants are some that are overfed with nectar so their abdomens inflate and turn translucent as they are filled with honey. These ants become mobile feeding machines for the rest of the colony. For millennia, Australia’s First Nations people have been using the honey (golden staph) bacteria as well as species of fungi including and . Analysis has revealed that ant honey acts via a different mechanism from manuka honey. As this mechanism is understood it could provide a starting point for new ranges of antibiotics.
