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Eduard Florin Niga

Depending on her diet as a larva, a female ant can mature into a queen, a major worker (at right), or a minor worker (at left). Major workers defend the colony, carry heavy items, and chew tough food. Minor workers do tasks like feeding others and cleaning the nest. These two sip a sugary treat that Niga left.

An abdomen of Myrmecia gulosa, eastern Australia

Dorylus mayri, West Africa

Cataulacus granulatus, Southeast Asia

Diacamma rugosum, Southeast Asia

A Dorylus species, Africa and Asia

Cataglyphis bicolor, North Africa

Camponotus singularis is an ant species from Southeast Asia.

Ants undergo a four-stage metamorphosis as they grow from eggs to adults. Here, a yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus, found in Europe and Asia) carries a larva that’s in the second stage of development. Next the larva will become a pupa.

Each marigold-colored hair stands out on the abdomen of Camponotus fulvopilosus, a carpenter ant from southern Africa.