Eggs and young larvae inside the brood nest of Oecophylla smaragdina weaver ants.

Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Breaking open a leaf nest of Oecophylla weaver ants reveals silk hammocks that make up the nest's internal structure. Note how aggressively guard ants react to the intrusion.

Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Oecophylla smaragdina weaver ants have killed a trap-jaw ant and are cooperating to carry it up a tree branch to their nest. 

Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
Although the most famous weaver ants are in the genus Oecophylla, many weaving species also occur in Polyrhachis. Here, a Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) robsoni worker sits atop a nest fashioned from a rolled leaf. The leaf is bound by silk spun from the ants' larvae.

Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
Unrolling a leaf nest of a small weaver ant Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) robsoni reveals a queen.

Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
A green tree ant guard lets the photographer know not to approach any closer... ... OR ELSE.

Cape Tribulation, Queensland, Australia
A new world weaver ant (Camponotus sp.) guards the nest entrance.

Misahuallí, Napo, Ecuador
A new world weaver ant (Camponotus sp.) guards the nest entrance.

Misahuallí, Napo, Ecuador
Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) sp.  This weaver ant colony has made a nest by folding a leaf and sealing the open ends with silk and debris.

Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia
Breaking open a leaf nest of Oecophylla weaver ants reveals silk hammocks that make up the nest's internal structure. Note how aggressively guard ants react to the intrusion.

Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Breaking open a leaf nest of Oecophylla weaver ants reveals silk hammocks that make up the nest's internal structure. Note how aggressively guard ants react to the intrusion.

Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Breaking open a leaf nest of Oecophylla weaver ants reveals silk hammocks that make up the nest's internal structure. Note how aggressively guard ants react to the intrusion.

Cairns, Queensland, Australia
See photo in original gallery.
all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013