Dorylus driver ants stand guard over a foraging column.

Kibale Forest, Uganda
Melissotarsus weissi, queen (right) and worker.

Kibale Forest, Uganda
Pachycondyla (Bothroponera) sp. colony showing the queen (lower left) and a winged male (upper left) among workers and brood.

Kibale Forest, Uganda
Melissotarsus weissi, queen (right) and worker.

Kibale Forest, Uganda
Male ants are specialized for mating and dispersal and often appear vastly different from their sisters. The little winged insect at center is a  male Odontomachus sp. trap-jaw ant; the rest are female workers.

Cambodia (Laboratory colony at the University of Illinois)
One of the smallest acrobat species in North America is Crematogaster smithi. Here, a queen sits in the brood nest of a laboratory colony.

Portal, Arizona, USA
Dolichoderus lutosus is among the smaller and more commonly encountered members of its genus in South America. Here, workers come and go at the colony's nest entrance.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Camponotus textor is a new world weaver ant. Here, a pair of workers meet along a foraging trail.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
A busy trail of Monomorium pharaonis pharaoh ants. This species is now among the most pesty house-inhabitating ants worldwide.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Dolichoderus lutosus is among the smaller and more commonly encountered members of its genus in South America. Here, workers come and go at the colony's nest entrance.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Dolichoderus lutosus is among the smaller and more commonly encountered members of its genus in South America. Here, workers come and go at the colony's nest entrance.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Dolichoderus lutosus is among the smaller and more commonly encountered members of its genus in South America. Here, workers come and go at the colony's nest entrance.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
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all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013