Date Time Share In Dueling Ants Vying to Become Replacement Queen, Behavioral and Molecular Cues Quickly Determine Who Will Win “Pseudoqueens” rapidly emerge after social structure is disrupted by the loss of queen In Indian jumping ants, workers duel with their antennae to establish new leadership after the death of their queen. Photo credit: Giacomo Mancini, NYU In one species of ants, workers duel to establish new leadership after the death of their queen. While these sparring matches stretch for more than a month, changes in behavior and gene expression in the first three days of dueling can accurately predict who will triumph, according to a New York University study published in the journal Genes & Development.