A SoCal beetle that poses as an ant may have answered a key question about evolution
A rove beetle suppresses its own pheromones, adopts ant cuticular hydrocarbons to infiltrate colonies, and permanently sacrifices its waxy waterproofing.
Why some ant colonies get tricked into killing their own queens
Some female ants chemically infiltrate other colonies and manipulate workers to kill the resident queen, thereby usurping reproductive control and inheriting the workforce.