Slave_making ants Polyergus breviceps some carrying pupae of Formica gnava following raid on their nest in Arizona. Slave_making ants have lost the ability to take care of themselves and their young, and must enslave other ants to perform those functions. They will take the pupae back to their own colony where they will be raised toserve as slaves. Slave_making ants are common in the southwestern U.S.