Scientists have discovered an ant species which uses a technique so devious to start a colony that it could change our understanding of animal social systems. Beginning a colony can be perilous for a ...

Deepa Padmanabhan turns everyday encounters with insects, birds and reptiles into insightful essays that rethink how we coexist with nature indoors ...

Journalist Deepa Padmanaban’s book Invisible Housemates (HarperCollins) is a collection of essays that offer a sensitive, empathetic insight into the world of creatures that inhabit our homes. Geckos ...

Alison McAfee receives funding from Project Apis m. She is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists and the British Columbia Honey Producers' Association. University of ...

Move over, Game of Thrones—ants can turn armies against their leaders and use subterfuge to take over entire kingdoms, too. This chilling discovery did not originate with a professional scientist, but ...

Entomologist Jessica Purcell calls the learned behavior “a new height of exploitation” Getty Parasitic queen ants infiltrate rival ant colonies and trigger workers to kill their own queen The takeover ...

Queens of some ant species have evolved an unusually hostile mode for colony takeover: they infiltrate colonies of other ant species and manipulate the worker ants into killing their own queen — their ...

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

The takeover relies on a chemical spray that masks the host queen’s scent as an enemy New study reveals a rare, sophisticated form of social parasitism with no benefit to the queen mother or her ...

New research suggests insects may experience emotion-like states, showing stress responses and even exhibiting pessimism or optimism. Studies indicate they respond to noxious stimuli with primitive ...

On a fall night, under an outdoor light, a bee stumbles in circles, far from its hive. It cannot fly. Soon, its tormentor reveals itself: a writhing maggot breaks through its neck—killing the bee.