Ants are complex and fascinating creatures that have been around since the dinosaurs. But because of their tiny size, it's easy to overlook the enormous role they play in nature.

Leaf-cutter ants have rocky crystal armor, never before seen in insects Researchers have discovered a new type of mineral, similar to dolomite, covering the exoskeleton of leaf-cutter ants.

In Central America’s rain-drenched forests, leaf-cutting ants collect pieces of leaves on which they grow fungi for food. But the rain can hit hard, especially for a small ant. When leaf-cutting ...

A leaf-cutter ant. Leaf-cutter ants harvest leaves, chop them into nutritious pulp, feed the pulp to nourish their cultivated crops of fungus, and harvest the fungus to feed themselves.

Leaf-cutter ants at the American Museum of Natural History in April. The colony was harvested in Trinidad and nurtured in Oregon, and it arrived in New York City last December. Todd Heisler/The ...

The leaf cutter ant (Atta rodona) is a fungus-growing ant that inhabits tropical regions like Manu. Groups of these ants are often seen at night dismantling area vegetation leaf by leaf.

To Costa Ricans, the leaf-cutter ant can be one of the biggest pests to cause severe agricultural decay in parts of the country. To tourists, a trail of the hard-working red insects can appear as a ...

Q: Our hopseed bushes suddenly had no leaves, and we think it is from leaf-cutter ants. We also noticed our palo verde tree near their mound has no leaves. Attached are pictures. There are a few ...

Leaf-cutting ants snip fragments that are perfect for transport, so how do they gauge the size? Researchers from the University of Würzburg, Germany, publish in Journal of Experimental Biology ...

Like fire ants, these creatures are imported from Central and South America and have no natural enemies in our area. This very comprehensive site from Texas A&M AgriLIFE Extension, Leaf Cutting ...

Leaf-cutter ants share the same sophisticated habit of growing a fungus garden with termites in Africa and Asia. Found mostly in sandy or loamy soil, the Texas ants remove leaves and buds from ...

The ants secrete antimicrobials to protect the fungi. Atta Texana appears well-equipped to take care of itself and the colony. We may continue to struggle with Texas leaf cutter ants.