A very young worker ant. Ants begin their adult life as soft, pale creatures. Their integument hardens and strengthens over time. Linepithema oblongum. Carapunco, Tucumán, Argentina

Inside a nest of Liometopum apiculatum workers have piled developing brood up under a sun-warmed rock. Heat accelerates the process of metamorphosis. Portal, Arizona, USA

Myrmecia pilosula brood nest. Tower Hill, Victoria, Australia