... reduction in adhesion can occur because of contamination of these pads by wax crystals present on plant surfaces or synthetic microspheres. In this paper, we focus on the smooth adhesive pads of ants and study systematically how particulate contamination and the subsequent loss of adhesion depends...

...Christofer J. Clemente; James M. R. Bullock; Andrew Beale; Walter Federle SUMMARY Insects possess adhesive organs that allow attachment to diverse surfaces. Efficient adhesion must be retained throughout their lifetime even when pads are exposed to contamination. Many insects groom their adhesive...