Honey produced by Australian ant has highly effective antibacterial properties, researchers say

Researchers in Western Australia have discovered the Australian honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus, produces honey with antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi. Photograph: Danny Ulrich/Goldfields Honey Ant Tours

The honey produced by Australian honeypot ants has antibacterial and antifungal properties, researchers have found, in a discovery that brings western science up to speed with Indigenous knowledge.

The Australian honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus, has been used by First Nations people as a bush food and in traditional medicine for thousands of years, including to treat colds and sore throats.