This ant nest- crafted from living leaves in an African forest- is held together by silk spun by the larvae. This unusual nesting habit has earned these insects (Oecophylla longinoda) the common names 'weaver ant' and 'tailor ant.' St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa - Alex Wild Photography - Insect Photography

Ant Architecture

Images of ant nests, trails, mounds, and other structures engineered by ants

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The intricate galleries of a fungus garden of Mycetosoritis hartmanni in a laboratory colony.

Texas, USA

Mycetosoritis hartmanni nest, cutaway of the soil to reveal a pair of golf ball-sized fungus gardens.

Smithville, Texas, USA

The distinctive nest entrance of the nocturnal honeypot ant Myrmecocystus mexicanus.

Huachuca mountains, Arizona, USA

Myrmicaria natalensis keeps well-maintained trails among nests.

Kibale forest, Uganda

Oecophylla smaragdina, the green tree ant of northern Australia, is a type of weaver ant. These ants make nests by tying living tree leaves together using silk produced by their larvae. The silk is visible in this nest as white patches between the leaves.

Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia

Protected inside a translucent silken tent, Oecophylla longinoda weaver ants gather honeydew from mealybugs. The ants weave the tent using silk produced by their larvae.

St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

Winter leaf drop reveals a number of old Oecophylla smaragdina green tree ant nests. The ants have moved on, but the signs of their presence remain. Tree ants are polydomous, so the nests likely all belonged to a single colony.

Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia

This ant nest- crafted from living leaves in an African forest- is held together by silk spun by the larvae. This unusual nesting habit has earned these insects (Oecophylla longinoda) the common names 'weaver ant' and 'tailor ant.'

St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

Canon EOS 20D |

More details: exif |

Original size: 2336x3504 |

Current: 400x600 |

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Keywords: ants insect weaving insects ecology formicidae oecophylla ant nest weaver ant formicinae ant nests worker ant tailor ant oecophylla longinoda tree ant arboreal nests silk nests ecosystem engineers

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Ant Architecture

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