Lots and lots of ants
I’m sure all of us have walked by a dropped fruit on the ground and have seen a pile of ants warming around it. I have seen this countless times, but never when I happened to have my camera and MP-E 65 on me. Several days ago, I was lucky.
From some research on the Internet, I believe this is Tetramorium caespitum, or the standard pavement ant. They are famous for getting in fights with other colonies, though I do not believe that is what is occurring here.
They are distinguishable from the two spines on its back, which you can see from this shot. Of course, they are so tiny in real life that you need a good magnifying glass to be able to see them well.
I took a number of shots of the colony, though I didn’t have a lot of time to stick around there. It was right next to my work and I felt a bit funny laying on the ground getting these photos while my coworkers were walking by!
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Tags: ant, colony, fruit, pavement, tiny
Although I cannot begin to understand your more technical posts (I am still stuck on a point and shoot), I always love your insect macro shots. Ant colonies are fascinating. Gotta love the interactions and teamwork of the ants.