Meat ant within a colony is typically favoured as it improves access to forage, as workers deliver most of their food to the nest that is closest to any site they forage in. At any size, a meat ant nest always has a possibility of dying out in any year, but the site may be reoccupied by another colony. Hence, nests can be very old as suggested in one study. Some nests may never be reoccupied for unknown reasons. The regrowth of vegetation which shades the nest, soil damage or even a disease may wipe out a colony and leave the nest
Pharaoh ant Thus, nest units may exchange individuals after budding occurs, further explaining their cooperative behavior. In Australia, "Monomorium" species is particularly successful. This fact is particularly curious because of the presence of a very aggressive ant family, "Iridomyrmex", which is quite proficient at interference competition. "Iridomyrmex" ants are able to quickly seek out food sources and prevent other ant species from reaching them. However, unlike other ant species, "Monomorium" species, despite their unaggressive nature and small size, are able to thrive even in areas where "Iridomyrmex" dominates. This success can be attributed to their efficient foraging strategy, and their novel use