Scientists Discover That Australian Honeypot Ant Honey Possesses Unique Anti-Microbial Properties

Research reveals that honeypot ant honey possesses strong antimicrobial qualities.

Researchers have found that the honey produced by ants native to Australia possesses unique anti-microbial activity against bacteria and fungi that could make the liquid useful medicinally.

The study, which was recently published in the journal PeerJ, was led by Andrew Dong and Dr. Kenya Fernandes from the Carter Lab at the University of Sydney. The lab is under the guidance of Professor Dee Carter from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases.

The team studied the Australian honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus, which is found throughout desert areas mainly in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Among their colonies is a class of overfed workers that are stuffed with nectar and sugary substances by other worker ants, causing their abdomens to inflate with honey and take on a translucent, amber appearance.

These ants effectively become immobile vending machines for their colony, regurgitating honey when other food options are scarce.  Danny Ulrich from the Tjupan language group, who runs honeypot ant tours in Kalgoorlie, helped the researchers track down specimens for their study.

“For our people, honey ants are more than just a food source. Digging for them is a very enjoyable way of life and a way of bringing the family together,” Mr Ulrich said. “Our people have been enjoying sweet honey ants for thousands of years. As for its medicinal use, we use it for sore throats and sometimes as a topical ointment to help keep infections at bay.”

The researchers said their study marks the first time that ant honey has been investigated for its medicinal properties.

Australian honeypot ants Credit: Danny Ulrich

“I have long been fascinated by the honeypot ant and its amazing way of producing and storing honey,” Mr Dong said. “Given the medicinal use of the honey by Indigenous people, I wondered if it might have unique antimicrobial characteristics.”

The scientists have confirmed that ant honey has a quite different mechanism of action compared with Manuka honey, which is well-established as a topical treatment for wounds and skin infections.

“Our research shows that honeypot ant honey possesses a distinctive effect that sets it apart from other types of honey,” Dr Fernandes said.  “This discovery means that honeypot ant honey could contain compounds with substantial antimicrobial power; identifying these could provide us with starting points for developing new and different types of antibiotics.”

Honeypot ants have been used medicinally by First Nations people for thousands of years, including for the treatment of colds and sore throats. But now Western science is catching up with their traditions.

“This study demonstrates that honeypot ant honey has unique antimicrobial characteristics that validate its therapeutic use by Indigenous peoples,” Professor Carter said. “Taking something that has been honed by evolution to work in nature and then applying this to human health is a great way to come up with therapeutic strategies.”

The researchers found the ant’s honey is effective against Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium commonly known as golden staph. The bacteria colonize on the skin and nose of people, but if they enter through a cut, they can cause infections such as boils and sores or, in serious cases, death.

They also found ant honey is potent against two speciesA species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]”>species of fungi, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus. Both fungi can be found in soil and this ability to inhibit them probably evolved to prevent ant colonies from being invaded by fungi. These fungi can also cause serious infections in people with suppressed immune systems.

Reference: “Unique antimicrobial activity in honey from the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus)” by Andrew Z. Dong, Nural Cokcetin, Dee A. Carter​ and Kenya E. Fernandes, 26 July 2023, PeerJ.
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15645