Why do ants pick up dead ants of their same colony?

Question

Whenever I kill ants (those small, black household ants) on the floor like by stepping on them, other ants eventually come by and carry them away like they do with food pieces. I know they could use them for food since they are dead insects (protein); but I also thought ants might be too organized to put their dead in the same pile as the food they collect, maybe they sort of bury them or at least put them together in a 'refuse pile'?

Answer 1

for fun

Answer 2

i was watching the show DIRTY JOBS, and he was working with an insect breeder, and they were cleaning the army ant colony. army ants are herbivores, so this may not be the same thing for the household black ants, but they said the army ants put their dead sisters into the garbage area of the colony. so the household ants prolly do the same thing, put dead bodies into the garbage area of thier colony since dead bodies produce nitrogen and other gases, along with the ants wastes, so they prolly put them together

Answer 3

LOL this is so funny, a bunch of ants carrying a dead body of their own, that is so neat! lol!! i wouldnt be suprirsed if they gave it a proper burial

Answer 4

No soldier left behind

Answer 5

I think they eat them. Yuck.

Answer 6

to take them home and eat them

Answer 7

to eat

Answer 8

you wouldnt want a bunch of dead bodies laying around, would you?

Answer 9

they just recycle them

Answer 10

PROBABLY THEY ARE HUNGRY