Natural history

Facts and colony life

Clear explanations of ant biology, ecology and the collective behavior of a colony.

Ant food webs · 6 min

What eats ants?

A field guide to the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, spiders and insects that make ants part of their diet.

Colony biology · 5 min

Why the honest answer runs from a few dozen ants to millions—and what scientists count when a colony has many nests.

Colony hygiene · 5 min

The chemical cues and colony-cleaning behavior behind a scene that can look surprisingly like an ant funeral.

Natural history hub · 2 min

Queens, workers, brood and collective decisions: a map of how an ant society grows and maintains itself.