Inside this blog, you will find articles about ants, their biology, behaviour, history and role in nature. We look at different ant species, scientific research, experiments, formicariums, vivariums and the ways ants interact with their environment.
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Discover ant species from around the world, including leafcutter ants, weaver ants, carpenter ants, harvester ants and bullet ants. Learn about their habitats, diets, colony structures and behaviour.
Learn how ant colonies develop, from a single queen to a society of workers. Explore ant anatomy, reproduction, eggs, larvae, pupae, castes, colony growth and the ant life cycle.
Discover how ants communicate through pheromones, follow trails, navigate, forage, care for their brood, defend their nests and organise their colonies through division of labour.
Explore ant evolution, fossil discoveries, scientific expeditions and the history of myrmecology. Learn how our understanding of ants has changed over time.
Read about experiments and observations that explore how ants solve problems, find food, react to obstacles, cooperate and adapt to changes in their environment.
Learn how artificial ant nests work, how different formicarium designs are built and how they recreate suitable nesting conditions for different ant species.
Explore enclosed habitats in which ants, plants and other organisms live together, and learn how natural conditions can be recreated inside a vivarium.
Look beyond ants and discover biological subjects shared with other insects, including anatomy, development, behaviour, evolution and adaptation.
Follow illustrated stories inspired by real ant behaviour. Antdom presents ant biology, colony life and insect knowledge through short cartoons.
Continue below to explore our newest articles.
Ants don’t actually “drink” — they use a highly specialized feeding system. In this article, discover how ant mouthparts work, including the glossa, labium, maxillae and mandibles, and how ants absorb liquid food, filter particles and transport nutrients through their unique two-stomach system. Learn how feeding, digestion and trophallaxis function inside an ant colony — and what this means for antkeeping and proper nutrition.
Ants and their symbiotic relationships are among the most fascinating examples of cooperation and conflict in nature. From mutualism to parasitism, ants interact with a wide range of species—including aphids, fungi, bacteria, and even other ants—forming complex ecological networks.
In mutualistic relationships, ants protect aphids in exchange for honeydew, defend acacia trees that provide food and shelter, and cultivate fungus as a primary food source. Some species, such as Camponotus, even rely on internal bacteria to produce essential nutrients, highlighting the depth of ant symbiosis.
However, not all interactions are beneficial. Many organisms exploit ants through mimicry and deception. Butterfly larvae, beetles, and spiders infiltrate ant colonies to steal food or prey on brood, blurring the line between mutualism and parasitism.
Ants themselves also engage in social parasitism. Slave-making ants raid other colonies to capture workers, while parasitic queens invade nests, eliminate the resident queen, and take control of the colony. In some cases, such as superparasitism, multiple parasitic layers exist within the same system.
One of the most extreme examples of parasitism is the Cordyceps fungus, which infects ants and manipulates their behavior to spread its spores. This phenomenon demonstrates how evolution can produce highly specialized and dramatic survival strategies.
Overall, ant symbiosis is not limited to simple categories like mutualism or parasitism. Instead, it forms a dynamic spectrum of interactions that shape ecosystems and reveal the extraordinary adaptability of ants.
What happens when an ant develops the wrong way? In some colonies, these unusual individuals—often called “monster ants”—emerge with oversized features and strange proportions. But rather than being a failure, these biological accidents can become unexpected advantages for the colony.
Discover Polyrhachis armata, a spiny tree-dwelling ant that weaves silk nests in the canopy using larvae as living silk tools.
城市生活不仅给人类带来压力，也改变了蚂蚁的行为方式！🐜
柏林自由大学（Freie Universität Berlin）的一项新研究表明，城市蚂蚁对食物的挑剔程度远远低于农村蚂蚁，它们会很高兴地喝下农村蚂蚁会忽略的弱糖溶液。研究人员认为，高温、污染和食物稀缺等城市压力可能是导致这种令人惊讶的行为的原因。.
蚂蚁能否成为生态系统健康的生物指标？探索城市小蚂蚁如何揭示城市生活的重大真相。.
巢穴结构、外骨骼与身体构造详解
蚁后、工蚁、雄蚁与蚁群的社会结构
蚂蚁的生命周期、食性与生态关系
关于“子弹蚁”（Paraponera clavata）的全面指南”
(提示：不是你想的那样）蚁后领导蚁群吗？蚂蚁群体并不像人类想象的那样只有一个领导者--蚁后并不指挥或控制她的工蚁。相反，蚂蚁社会是通过分布式智能运作的，集体行为产生于简单的个体行动和化学交流。这种分散系统让蚁群能够在没有等级领导结构的情况下做出复杂决策、适应挑战并高效运作，重新定义了 “组织 ”在自然界中的含义。.
