Hardly any other insect is so numerous and widespread. They already existed at the time of the dinosaurs. Over millions of years, countless species of ants have evolved, of which around 14,000 have been described today - including wood ants. They are mound-building ants and live mainly in the forest. Often unnoticed, they crawl on and deep inside the forest floor. The colonies of these small insects defy the seasons.
Wood ants play an important role in the forest ecosystem and have developed amazing abilities. They are architects, hunters, cleaners, gardeners and herders. The tiny insects are masters of division of labor and cooperation - their colonies are highly complex. Wood ants defend their colony and their queen, even if they have to pay for it with their lives.
What makes them so successful? How do they live? In this exhibition, award-winning animal photographer Ingo Arndt provides the first comprehensive insight into the hidden lives of wood ants. Large-format images show them in all their facets - building nests, regulating temperature, foraging, exchanging information, swarming out to mate and protecting their colony and queen from intruders.
Ingo Arndt spent two years traveling all over Germany for this extensive photo project. However, most of the photos were taken in the immediate vicinity of his home in the Hessian Bergwinkel.
The zoologist, sociobiologist and behavioral scientist Prof. Dr. Jürgen Tautz describes what can be seen in the pictures in easy-to-understand texts and provides insights into previously largely unknown scientific findings and behaviors.
This content has been machine translated.