Consensus decision making in the ant Myrmecina nipponica: house-hunters combine pheromone trails with quorum responses

► Myrmecina nipponica combines pheromone trails with quorum responses during nest site selection. ► This represents a novel mechanism in house-hunting social insects. ► Quorum threshold was highly dependent on colony size. ► A relatively high proportion of individuals is involved in the decision process. ► Quorum responses may be key to consensus decision making in various different species.