ANTS IN ACTION

Red wood ants are tiny ecosystem engineers that live a secret life in the forest – but one colony has been documented in mesmerising detail

- Photos by INGO ARNDT

Ant attack

One of eight wood ant species found in Europe, the European red wood ant (Formica polyctena) leads a remarkable yet largely unseen life. Living in vast social colonies that can number in the millions, it builds towering, mound-like nests and is a voracious predator (this worker has snared a caterpillar far bigger than itself).

Ingo Arndt spent two years photographing a colony in the pine forest near his home of Hessen, Germany, and his unprecedented images reveal the species’ complex life in extraordinary detail. “Wood ants play a vital role in the forest ecosystem, preserving the habitat,” he says. “Not all keystone species are large mammals.”

Hatching a plan

As with all ant species, the life-cycle of the European red wood ant starts with an egg, laid by the queen. This hatches into a larva, which pupates inside a cocoon and develops into an adult. When ready to emerge, the ant gnaws an exit hole – but because its body is so tightly folded, it cannot use its legs to push itself out. As seen here, a worker helps to free its new sibling, grooming and feeding it, and transferring a chemical message from the queen that ensures it won't lay eggs. Most new adults are workers, all of which are female and wingless.

Pretty in pollen

While hunting in early spring, a red wood ant clambers over willow blossom, festooning itself in pollen grains. In this way, the species can act as a pollinator.

Shape shifters