Ant pupae that are fatally sick don’t hide their condition; instead, they release a special scent that warns the rest of the colony. This signal prompts worker ants to open the pupae’s cocoons and ...

As dozens of ants crawled up Jayme Necaise's arms, the entomologist braced for a bite. But the threat of a handful of escapees wasn't enough to distract his focus from the task at hand: transferring ...

Dying ants broadcast a chemical “end me” signal that triggers swift sacrifice, protecting the colony from deadly infections.

Ant colonies survive because individuals are willing to die. New research shows that some of the most vulnerable members, immobile pupae sealed in their cocoons, can sense when they are fatally ...

Tiny pharaoh ants invade buildings and hospitals, moving along walls and pipes, defying all conventional control methods.

For some would-be ant queens, the easiest way to take over a colony is to dupe its worker ants into committing regicide. The scientist E.O. Wilson once wrote that ants are the most warlike of all ...

Of the nonnative animals crawling, buzzing and slithering across the American South, very few are officially designated “crazy.” The crazy ant is an exception. When a Texas exterminator, Tom Rasberry, ...

Biologist E.O. Wilson once wrote that "ants are the most warlike of all animals," noting that clashes between ant colonies dwarfed the human battles at Waterloo and Gettysburg. But sometimes ant ...

Moving to a new home is usually accompanied with a long to-do list, from painting the walls to unpacking boxes. For young queen Azteca ants however, one important job is to start growing fungus. Many ...

Army ants form some of the largest insect societies on the planet. They are quite famous in popular culture, most notably from a terrifying scene in Indiana Jones. But they are also ecologically ...

The “Ants and Agriculture” exhibit in the Microbial Sciences Building closed Thursday with staff and students gathering to say their goodbyes to the ant colony. Forty people watched as the Currie Lab ...