Ants: The ultimate social insects

A clear introduction for the novice naturalist to all things ant.

Ants are everywhere, though they are small, secretive, easily overlooked and usually misunderstood. But these seemingly puny insects have a superpower that makes them amongst the most important organisms on the planet – what they lack in size and individual strength, they more than make up for in sheer numbers and sophisticated, coordinated activity.

In this book, impassioned entomologist Richard Jones reveals the bizarre and sometimes poorly studied behaviours of ants. Their aggregation in large (often mind-bogglingly huge) nests is a complex mix of genetics, chemistry, geography and higher social interaction. Their forage trails, usually to aphid colonies but occasionally into the larder, are maintained by a wondrous alchemy of molecular scents and markers. Their social colony structure confused natural philosophers of old and still taxes the modern biologist today. And flying ant days regularly make national news as airborne swarms interfere with international tennis matches. Despite being tiny, ants are special because they and their complex colonies are amenable to scientific interrogation beyond that offered by most other insect groups.

Starting with a straightforward look at ant body structure, Jones then explores the ant species found in the British Isles and parts of nearby mainland Europe, their foraging, nesting, navigating and battle instincts, how ants interact with the landscape, their evolution, and their place in our understanding of how life on earth works.

Clear, concise and thoroughly entertaining, this is an extraordinary insight into all things ant.