@bruce Trophallaxis is a form of communication, not just a way to share resources. It forms part of the wider awareness of their surroundings shared by ants. The ant you meet on the sidewalk may not have been *told* that her sisters in the rock garden killed a millipede and now the colony has plenty of protein... but through a chain of trophallaxis spanning half a dozen sisters she is still aware. And that is why she wants your bubblegum. Because sugar is now the priority. Efficiency!
