This is a reason for silver ants to risk the midday heat. The ants’ predators are hiding, so midday is safer than other times of day, despite the heat.

This is a reason for silver ants to risk the midday heat. If the ants’ navigation becomes less reliable later in the day, they have an incentive to scavenge earlier.

This is a reason for silver ants to risk the midday heat. Their food will be taken by other scavengers in the afternoon, so the ants cannot wait for temperatures to drop before scavenging.

This is a reason for silver ants to risk the midday heat. If the ants’ nest is warmer than the surface near midday, then they actually escape the heat by leaving.

This does not explain why the ants choose midday for scavenging. It identifies a mechanism the ants use to cool down, but states nothing about midday that explains the ants’ scavenging schedule.