European Countries Struggle to Repel Invasion of Aggressive “Super Ants”
European countries like Germany, France, and Switzerland are trying to contain an invasion of Tapinoma magnum ants, a species that experts say is “virtually impossible to get rid of”. Usually found throughout the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and North Africa, Tapinoma magnum ants have recently begun an invasion of Europe. Over the last couple […]
Scientists Discover Entire Ant Colonies Will Play Dead to Avoid Predators
Researchers studying various species of animals on Australia’s Kangaroo Island stumbled upon a colony of Polyrhachis femorata ants that they believed was dead until one of its members moved slightly. Feigning death, also known as thanatosis or tonic immobility is a well-documented defense mechanism observed in dozens of animal species, from insects and lizards to […]
Honeypot Ants – The World’s Only Honey-Producing Ants
Honeypot Ants, or honey ants, are specialized workers of several species of ants whose sole job is to gorge on nectar until they become living honey-storage. Did you know that honeybees aren’t the only insects capable of producing the sweet, viscous, and brown-to-golden-colored natural product we know as honey? Several other species of bees, as […]
‘Door Head Ants’ Use Their Large Flat Heads as Doors to Shut Down Their Nests
The workers of several ant species have large, flattened, and slightly concave heads that they use as plugs to block entrance to their colonies’ nests. The so-called ‘door head ants’ are soldier ants with armored heads that match both the size and the shape of the entrance to their colonies’ nests almost to perfection. They […]
Devious Parasite Grants Host the Gift of Eternal Youth, But For a Price
Scientists have discovered that Temnothorax ants infected by a certain tapeworm parasite can live at least three times longer than their uninfected peers while maintaining a youthful appearance and getting special treatment. A multi-year scientific study published in May of this year has revealed a phenomenon worthy of a science-fiction or fantasy blockbuster – a […]
Over 1.8 Million People Join Facebook Group Where Everyone Pretends They Are Ants
“A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony” has to be one of the most popular and at the same time strange Facebook groups ever created. It’s basically 1.8 million people pretending they are ants and worshiping their queen. Being stuck at home for weeks on end makes people do […]
Nail Salon Gets Slammed Online for Sealing Live Ants in Transparent Acrylic Nails
A Russian nail salon has been slammed as ‘sick’ and ‘cruel’ on social media after posting photos and videos of live ants crawling inside models’ hollow acrylic nails. Moscow-based Nail Sunny beauty salon has built a reputation for pushing the envelope, and several of their quirky ideas have gone viral on social media like Instagram […]
Indian Girl Has Ants Crawling Out of Her Ears Every Day
12-year-old Shreya Darji, from the state of Gujarat in western India, is suffering from a bizarre case of ants. Giant ants crawl out of her ears every single day, much to the bafflement of her parents and doctors. They have no idea where the ants are coming from or how to make them stop. The […]
In Some Parts of the World Ant Heads Were Once Used as Stitches
Remember the gut wrenching scene from Apocalypto, where Jaguar Paw’s wife uses ants’ pincers as sutures on her young son? Turns out it was inspired by a real medical treatment used in part of Asia, Africa and South America. According to survival expert Cody Lundin, who starred on the Discovery reality show Dual Survival, army ants – soldiers that […]
Anty Gin – World’s First Gin Made Using Ants
True to its name, ‘Anty Gin’ is literally made from red wood ants. British distiller Will Lowe collects thousands of ants from the forests of Kent and prepares the gin at his lab-style distillery in Cambridge. The bizarre concoction is the world’s first gin to be made from insects, so naturally, it doesn’t come cheap. […]
The Secret Life of Ants, Shot by Andrey Pavlov
We’ve seen insects used as art protagonists before. Mike Libby turns them into steampunk hybrids, and Ubyka creates armed insect cyborgs, but I haven’t seen anything like what Andrey Pavlov does with ants. This is the touching story of a man who found comfort in studying and immortalizing hardworking ants performing their daily routines. Andrey Pavlov wasn’t […]
Artist Uses 200,000 Ants to Create Unique Painting
Painter Chris Trueman, from Claremont, California, has created a unique painting by using 200,000 dead ants instead of paint. The painting Chris calls “Self Portrait With a Gun” actually features his younger brother, dressed as a cowboy, holding his dad’s rifle. From afar this unusual artwork looks more like an old yellowed photo, but as […]
FRAMEicariums – The Art of Ant-Farms
If you’re looking for a unique type of art, that’s dynamic and alive, you can’t go wrong with the new FRAMEicariums, by Hugh Hayden and Katie Vitale. Ant-farms are an interesting concept, but the two artistic duo have taken it one step further, and turned it into an original form of wall art. Using salvaged […]