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The Army of the Spruce Forest
Red wood ants, Italy, 2025
Category - Forests
In the spruce undergrowth, a group of Formica paralugubris ants carries a recently captured syrphid fly toward the imposing anthill in the background. These massive nests are built by accumulating spruce needles, resin, and debris, housing thousands of individuals who work tirelessly every day to ensure the colony’s survival. These fierce predators move back and forth along so-called foraging trails, preferred entry and exit routes to and from the nest. All invertebrates are a potential meal. In the undergrowth, they are feared by most animals, who tend to avoid areas colonized by these ants. I took this photograph after two years spent as part of a research and outreach project on wood ants, WWA, which involves researchers from various Italian universities.
85 mm + DIY cctv 2.1 mm Lens - 1/15 sec at f/8 ISO 2500