While animal mothers are known to sometimes dispatch of their young, very few animals will kill their own mother: the care she gives is just too valuable. But it turns out some ants can be tricked ...

Nature can get downright brutal in the most unexpected ways—especially when parasites are involved. For the well-organized society of ants, some parasites are known to topple the existing social order ...

Invading parasitic ant queens trick ant workers from different colonies into killing and dismembering their own mother, so the invader can step in and take the throne, according to a new study. The ...

Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...

Ants use 'chemical warfare' to compel host workers to kill their own queen, reveals new research. Scientists have observed for the first time an invading ant queen using a chemical spray to compel ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Scientists have confirmed a never-before-seen type of insect ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Crickets are parasites—for some ant colonies. The species of ant ...

Queen Iberian harvester ants are capable of storing and cloning the sperm from a cousin species, spawning hybrid offspring to take on the hard work of keeping the colony intact. Reading time 3 minutes ...

Zombies are among us. And these tiny undead creatures are everywhere. In this excerpt from "Rise of the Zombie Bugs" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025), author Mindy Weisberger examines the very ...

In this photo, the parasitic ant queen Lasius orientalis (left) infiltrates the nest of Lasius flavus and apporaches their queen (right). The parasite will then spray the host queen and trick the ...