Empire of Ants: The Hidden World and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors
- Downloads：5526
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-02 02:15:59
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Susanne Foitzik
- ISBN：1856754596
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Beneath our feet， a fascinating drama unfolds: Ants are waging war and staging rebellions， growing fungi as crops and raising aphids as livestock， making vaccines and， generally， living lives that—up close—look surprisingly human。
Evolutionary biologist Susanne Foitzik and biophysicist Olaf Fritsche reveal all in Empire of Ants， inviting readers to live alongside the workers， soldiers， and conquerors of the insect world—and the researchers who study them。 （How do we observe the behavior of ants just a few millimeters in size—or monitor activity in a brain as small as the tip of a needle？）
Ants’ global dominance （there are 10 quadrillion ants worldwide） and supreme staying power （they have existed since the dinosaurs） give a sense of scale to our own empire- building and destroying。 Empire of Ants may leave its human readers asking: Who really runs the world？
Evolutionary biologist Susanne Foitzik and biophysicist Olaf Fritsche reveal all in Empire of Ants， inviting readers to live alongside the workers， soldiers， and conquerors of the insect world—and the researchers who study them。 （How do we observe the behavior of ants just a few millimeters in size—or monitor activity in a brain as small as the tip of a needle？）
Ants’ global dominance （there are 10 quadrillion ants worldwide） and supreme staying power （they have existed since the dinosaurs） give a sense of scale to our own empire- building and destroying。 Empire of Ants may leave its human readers asking: Who really runs the world？
Reviews
Russell Buckley-Taylor
，
The concept is interesting the execution of this book is poor。 Even the most interesting parts somehow felt monotonous。
Beverly
，
This was a 3。5 read for me。Thoughts coming shortly
Lily
，
read this for school 🐜 very interesting actually， took me a while to get into it but for a non fiction book it was actually quite entertaining。 i liked the author’s writing style so i think that helped
Devon Bowen
，
Really fascinating read that even someone that has a fairly decent general knowledge of biology found fascinating！ Only points this book falls short on are the language which just doesn't roll too smoothly （probably due to translation）， but if you read this in small stretches as I feel was intended it's hard to notice。 Really worth it！ Really fascinating read that even someone that has a fairly decent general knowledge of biology found fascinating！ Only points this book falls short on are the language which just doesn't roll too smoothly （probably due to translation）， but if you read this in small stretches as I feel was intended it's hard to notice。 Really worth it！ 。。。more
Sjúrður Hammer
，
I was hoping for this book to give a good general overview and insight into the world of ants， but I think the book lacked a clear storyline， but each chapter were several different tangents。 I’ve certainly learnt a lot about ants， but I feel as a reader I don’t have a good general perspective after reading this book。 There are certainly some chapters I enjoyed more than others， such as 4，5 and 12。I thought some of the fieldwork and experiments mentioned were quite blazé about the ethical consid I was hoping for this book to give a good general overview and insight into the world of ants， but I think the book lacked a clear storyline， but each chapter were several different tangents。 I’ve certainly learnt a lot about ants， but I feel as a reader I don’t have a good general perspective after reading this book。 There are certainly some chapters I enjoyed more than others， such as 4，5 and 12。I thought some of the fieldwork and experiments mentioned were quite blazé about the ethical considerations。 I’m not arguing that chopping off limbs， doing brain surgery or dumping tonnes of concrete into ants nests is unjustifiable， and I’m not im favor of extending special rights to ants。 But it would have been nice with some indication that these ethical considerations have been weighed， and the knowledge and understanding gained from them are more important than the welfare of the individual ant or nest。 Perhaps a bit unfair and pedantic， but whenever the authors wrote about themselves in singular “I” I wanted to ask which one of the two authors is now speaking。 I don’t think that was very clear and a bit confusing for me。 。。。more
Hazel Bright
，
Excellent natural history non-fiction about ants， which comprise quite a large portion of the biosphere and do a tremendous amount of work。 Their social world and biological function are quite alien to that of vertebrate life forms。 The fact that females are diploid while males are haploid is one way that they differ。 They also have a single hive mind that is described more eloquently in this book than I have ever read anywhere else。 Most fascinating was the section about fungi that turn the ant Excellent natural history non-fiction about ants， which comprise quite a large portion of the biosphere and do a tremendous amount of work。 Their social world and biological function are quite alien to that of vertebrate life forms。 The fact that females are diploid while males are haploid is one way that they differ。 They also have a single hive mind that is described more eloquently in this book than I have ever read anywhere else。 Most fascinating was the section about fungi that turn the ants into zombies。 I look at ants differently now， after having read this book。 I still kill them， though， if they are in my house。 Because - ants。 。。。more
Shawn
，
An absolutely spellbinding read on what seems to be everything you could want to know about ants and antlife。 In a constant bevy of ‘who knew’ and ‘who would have thought’ you will want to read on and digest the great morsels that Foitzik and Fritsche serve up。 Their passion for the study of ants drives this most remarkable volume。 I am so glad to have somehow stumbled on it and couldn’t recommend it enough！The particularly engaging conversational style makes Empire of Ants so approachable and s An absolutely spellbinding read on what seems to be everything you could want to know about ants and antlife。 In a constant bevy of ‘who knew’ and ‘who would have thought’ you will want to read on and digest the great morsels that Foitzik and Fritsche serve up。 Their passion for the study of ants drives this most remarkable volume。 I am so glad to have somehow stumbled on it and couldn’t recommend it enough！The particularly engaging conversational style makes Empire of Ants so approachable and so full of the most fascinating aspects。 This is life science presented in one of the most readable and enjoyable volumes I have experienced in a long time。 Would certainly hope to hold the authors to the promise of a subsequent follow-up volume。 。。。more
Geoff
，
This is a comprehensive review of ant biology and behavior but really it's about the amazing variety of ways ants （and by extension all of life） have found to survive and thrive and the many ways that evolution， through competition and cooperation， can lead to complex speciation and behavior。 Some of my favorite examples came from leafcutter ants， who can denude a lemon tree in a day。 They use the leaves to grow the fungus they live on， one of many examples of farming and ranching ant species。 B This is a comprehensive review of ant biology and behavior but really it's about the amazing variety of ways ants （and by extension all of life） have found to survive and thrive and the many ways that evolution， through competition and cooperation， can lead to complex speciation and behavior。 Some of my favorite examples came from leafcutter ants， who can denude a lemon tree in a day。 They use the leaves to grow the fungus they live on， one of many examples of farming and ranching ant species。 But when the leafcutters are out harvesting， they are vulnerable to parasites and therefore have come up with a unique defense - smaller （minor） worker ants of their species who ride along: "Scuttle flies of the genus Pseudacteon love to lay their eggs on the thoraxes of leafcutters， who are unable to defend themselves while carrying their little leaf flags。 Once hatched， the fly larvae crawl inside the ant's head， where they begin eating their host from the inside out。。。。To nip this sinister process in the bud， transport ants are often accompanied by air defense workers。 Tiny minors ride along。。。and defend them against attacks。。。。The minors themselves have a natural form of defense against the flies: They are simply too small to serve as suitable bassinets for the flies' larvae。"Or look at the complex evolutionary arms race between the ants， their preferred fungal food and another invasive fungus that can wipe everything out: "It is no accident that minors are so tiny。 They have to be。 They are the colony's gardeners and must be able to creep into any secret corner。。。。checking the condition of the fungus。 They feed it with chewed up leaves and lay the groundwork for new cultivation areas。。。。A fungus grower's sworn enemy is the sac fungus Escovopsis， which lies in wait seeking an opportunity to infest the culture and bring about the ants' ruin。。。。within a year or two， half the fungal cultures will be affected。。。。To keep matters from reaching this stage， minors carry out patrols throughout the network。。。。Workers on business outside the nest， who could be carrying all kinds of pathogens on their cuticles， are barred from entering the fungus garden。。。。leafcutter ants regularly turn their chemical talents to their gardens [and]。。。produce a secretion。。。which they spread over the fungus。 The substances secreted include growth hormone。。。。antibiotics and antifungals， which the ants cannot synthesize themselves。 The real manufacturers are symbiotic bacteria， which， depending on species， live on different parts of the ant's bodies and feed off glandular secretions。 Thus， leafcutter gardens often witness wrestling matches among four different participants unlike any other in the animal kingdom: The ants tend to a fungus， which is attacked by another fungus， which the insects fight with the help of a bacteria。 And this underground battle has raged for fifty million years。"How amazing is that？Other standout chapters included looks at how ants are studied in the field （lots of digging and ziplocs）， experimental methods for understanding ant behavior （particularly navigation）， swarming and army ants， invasive species， and the many ways ants have found to feed themselves。 I don't know how much of this ant knowledge I'll retain， but there are many cool lessons here on biodiversity and evolution。 。。。more
Annie Day
，
A fascinating insight into the world of one of our most common insects。 I was hooked！This popular science book opens up the hidden world of ants in an engaging， accessible way。 The authors' stories of their research exploits combined with fascinating insights into the ant biology and colony behaviours have led to the creation of an enjoyable， intriguing book about an important species in our natural world。I would recommend this book to anyone， even if biology or zoology are not really your thing A fascinating insight into the world of one of our most common insects。 I was hooked！This popular science book opens up the hidden world of ants in an engaging， accessible way。 The authors' stories of their research exploits combined with fascinating insights into the ant biology and colony behaviours have led to the creation of an enjoyable， intriguing book about an important species in our natural world。I would recommend this book to anyone， even if biology or zoology are not really your thing。Thanks to lovereading。co。uk for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
ClareT
，
I was given this copy by LoveReading and it appealed as a lover of nature and science and it didn't disappoint。 Although I already knew a bit about ants， having read a couple of really good books years ago， I still found quite a few new things in the book。The book is written by researchers so they obviously know a lot about their subject， and they take us on a round the world trip， although the majority of the ants covered in the book seem to be either from South America or Europe which is where I was given this copy by LoveReading and it appealed as a lover of nature and science and it didn't disappoint。 Although I already knew a bit about ants， having read a couple of really good books years ago， I still found quite a few new things in the book。The book is written by researchers so they obviously know a lot about their subject， and they take us on a round the world trip， although the majority of the ants covered in the book seem to be either from South America or Europe which is where they are doing most of their research。The book is divided into chapters that start out with general information about ants and their lives， moving onto chapters covering specific behaviours。 Each chapter also compares ant behaviour to human behaviour， not with the idea of humanising the ants， but to show that they have developed this behaviour over millions of years - we are doing nothing that hasn't been done before。 If anything it reinforces that humans are part of nature。From learning about how queens can live for 30 years， and don't leave the nest once they found it， to ants farming aphids， and fungi， acting as slave owners （of other ants）， being tricked by other insects， creating antibiotics， moving house， living in trees， forming bridges and rafts。。。the list of things covered including how they navigate - whether by sun， moon or magnetic fields， seems to be almost endless。 It is all written in a way that needs no prior scientific knowledge。 It is engaging， and not at all dry。I would recommend the book to anyone interested in ants that doesn't know much about them， after reading this I am sure they will be converts to the Ant cause and cease to be quite so annoyed at them digging up their lawns。 。。。more
Andy
，
Absolutely fascinating look at world and lives of ants。 Very readable and written for non experts。 I knew about as much about ants as your average person but after reading this I know quite a bit more and am so glad I've read this book。 Absolutely fascinating look at world and lives of ants。 Very readable and written for non experts。 I knew about as much about ants as your average person but after reading this I know quite a bit more and am so glad I've read this book。 。。。more
Drmarion
，
Superb！I am a psychologist interested in ants and other insects that form strong social communities。 This book is fantastic。 I learned so much about ants of the world and their fascinating behavior。
Melanie’s reads
，
Review to follow
Karen Mace
，
As a gardener myself， I'm very aware of ants！ But I have to be honest in not really knowing much about them， other than they're very good at crawling over you when you sit on the grass！ But consider me now an ant convert！ I'm seriously impressed by these little creatures after reading this book， and you will be too！ Who knew something so little could be so powerful and so complex！ For every one of us， there's a million of them！ And within their communities there are so many similarities to human As a gardener myself， I'm very aware of ants！ But I have to be honest in not really knowing much about them， other than they're very good at crawling over you when you sit on the grass！ But consider me now an ant convert！ I'm seriously impressed by these little creatures after reading this book， and you will be too！ Who knew something so little could be so powerful and so complex！ For every one of us， there's a million of them！ And within their communities there are so many similarities to humans and the way we live our lives - they even wage wars like us！ And this book tracks the different varieties around the world， noting their differences， their similarities， their quirks and their unique traits and I was utterly captivated by these insects。The work put in by the team behind this book is exhaustive and you really get a good glimpse into the hard work and the less than glamorous research trips they find themselves on to investigate ants a little closer。There's always a danger with these kind of books that it goes a little OTT with detail and feeling quite clinical with the facts， but this book does a great job of balancing out the facts with the intriguing aspects of 'ant culture'！ The queen system is fascinating， as well as looking at how they deal with ant illnesses， their use of sound and scent， how they defend themselves， and just the sheer amount of work it takes to be part of an ant colony！ There's even ant zombies！！ How could you not want to learn more about them？！This was a truly fascinating， extensive and informative book all about the world of ants and I found myself totally in awe of ants after reading it！ 。。。more
Wolfsong Thepoet
，
This book was fascinating。 Full of great pictures and entertaining and enlightening stories it kept me enthralled。 I may not want ants in my kitchen but I am grateful that they are part of my world。
Nancy
，
Actually 3 1/2 stars。 A broad introduction to the fascinating world of ants （and to myrmecology） told in a conversational and humorous way。 Sometimes the humor fell flat for me and found myself wishing to know how local or native peoples understood ants and their world in addition to a strictly Western scientific model。 Still， an engaging and fascinating read。
Paul
，
Just the thought of ants is enough to make some people’s skin crawl。 I am not overly worried by them and whilst I am more than happy for the colony’s living alongside our house to stay there， I am less happy with them coming inside as they do occasionally。 They are only there for food though and if one of them finds a suitable source of nutrition then it is not long before， what seems like the entire nest is there。Ants have been around for millions of years and it is thought that there are 22，00 Just the thought of ants is enough to make some people’s skin crawl。 I am not overly worried by them and whilst I am more than happy for the colony’s living alongside our house to stay there， I am less happy with them coming inside as they do occasionally。 They are only there for food though and if one of them finds a suitable source of nutrition then it is not long before， what seems like the entire nest is there。Ants have been around for millions of years and it is thought that there are 22，00 different species of which we have categorised about two-thirds of them。 They are a social species and are part of the same family as wasps and bees。 They can live in tiny colonies of thirty or so individuals or vast nest containing millions。 Each species has evolved in a particular way even though they have some common habits， there is a whole world of particular differences between them。Ants are a fascinating species and one that Susanne Foitzik has made a career from。 She has written over 100 paper on ant behaviours but along with Olaf Fritsche in this book， they are bringing their cutting edge research to the wider readership。 It is a mix of personal stories from collecting colonies and filling their host fridge with them， writing about how different species enslave other ants or other insects for food。 Some caterpillars crawl into the nest as this is the safest place for them as they pupate unless they do not disguise themselves with the correct pheromones in which case they end up as lunch。There are stories on how tidy they can be making sure that all waste is placed outside the nest and how this supports another set of creatures in turn。 One species is always on the move and they create a shelter called a bivouac in some natural gap。 This is made up of ants who hook themselves together to create the shelter to protect the young and old members of the nest。 Even though they can’t see much they use other senses to find their way to and from the nest， experiments have show how they use these senses to navigateI thought that this was a good overview of all things ant。 Each of the chapters covers a particular topic on how ant colonies operate， from The Birth of a Colony to The Path to World Domination。 It is very readable and thankfully it didn’t read like an academic paper as some popular science books can do at times。 If you like insects and creepy crawlies then this would be right up your street。 。。。more
Beth
，
This is a very accessible and fascinating look at everything ants！ Foitzik and her co-author Olaf Fritsche take us around the world and into the lab to tell us all about that pesky bug that invades our homes and gets into our picnic food。The book is full of interesting and eye-opening facts about ant behavior and biology and ants' interaction with the world around us。 The tone is conversational and sometimes funny。 If you're interested in the natural world， you should give this book a shot。As I This is a very accessible and fascinating look at everything ants！ Foitzik and her co-author Olaf Fritsche take us around the world and into the lab to tell us all about that pesky bug that invades our homes and gets into our picnic food。The book is full of interesting and eye-opening facts about ant behavior and biology and ants' interaction with the world around us。 The tone is conversational and sometimes funny。 If you're interested in the natural world， you should give this book a shot。As I often do with nonfiction， I both read and listened to the book。 The audiobook was really well performed by Cat Gould， who did a super job conveying the authors' tone。 If you listen instead of read， you'll miss the fabulous photographs in the digital/print edition。 。。。more
Bill Goethals
，
Great book- informative， interesting and informal enough to be fun。 There are good pictures， just wish there were more。 The lack of a strong unifying structure and absence of an ant index （or cladogram） prevented me from giving it a 5。 I would have also liked to have seen and learned more about the nest structures。
Bill T。
，
I really wanted to like this book -- clearly it contains recent findings in myrmecology -- but all the hip talk about being an ant researcher distracted terribly from the discussion of the ants themselves。 It made it feel like I was reading a science book targeted at 6th-graders。To be fair， Diana Gitig warned about this in her review of the book on Ars Technica。 I was just hoping I'd get past it。 I really wanted to like this book -- clearly it contains recent findings in myrmecology -- but all the hip talk about being an ant researcher distracted terribly from the discussion of the ants themselves。 It made it feel like I was reading a science book targeted at 6th-graders。To be fair， Diana Gitig warned about this in her review of the book on Ars Technica。 I was just hoping I'd get past it。 。。。more
Kim Cabrera
，
Ants！ The word conjures up many images。 But， did you know that most ants are female？ This fact and more can be learned in the fascinating new book， Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors。 These stories are not about the ants you picture raiding a picnic basket。 These ants are the little creatures that run the world， to paraphrase the authors。 Ants are way more fascinating than you would think。 This book makes their life stories come alive in an easy- Ants！ The word conjures up many images。 But， did you know that most ants are female？ This fact and more can be learned in the fascinating new book， Empire of Ants: The Hidden Worlds and Extraordinary Lives of Earth's Tiny Conquerors。 These stories are not about the ants you picture raiding a picnic basket。 These ants are the little creatures that run the world， to paraphrase the authors。 Ants are way more fascinating than you would think。 This book makes their life stories come alive in an easy-to-read and understand format。 You don’t need a science degree to understand this text。 The author has a very conversational style and tells the ants’ stories in an engaging and intriguing tone that will make you want to read more。 It’s not a thriller， but some of the ant stories read like one！ I had no idea how ants moved around the world on ships and got to other continents。 There is an entire world to be learned about that is tiny and often ignored because they live beneath our feet， underground， but ants live some complex lives！ They use scent to recognize each other and there are ants in each colony who have very specific roles。 You will learn all about these in this great book。 My favorite anecdote was how the scientists had to explain their ant-collecting tubes to the airport security people！ So funny。 There are plenty of stories and illustrations to help you get into this micro world of the ants。 I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in nature and its fascinating inhabitants。 Ants may be small， but they are mighty。 Ants rule the world。 。。。more
Annie
，
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Empire of Ants is a beautifully illustrated and fascinating look into the world of ants by Drs。 Susanne Foitzik and Olav Fritsche。 Originally released in German in 2019， this English language translation is due out 6th April 2021 from the Experiment。 It's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 The book is layman accessible， and I found it a fascinating read。 It's well annotated （and the chapter notes and index make Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Empire of Ants is a beautifully illustrated and fascinating look into the world of ants by Drs。 Susanne Foitzik and Olav Fritsche。 Originally released in German in 2019， this English language translation is due out 6th April 2021 from the Experiment。 It's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover， audio， and ebook formats。 The book is layman accessible， and I found it a fascinating read。 It's well annotated （and the chapter notes and index make for fascinating further reading） but doesn't get bogged down in overly academic language。 This is popular science writing - not a "how-to" guide for collection or specimen study。 The authors do present a broad range of species and behaviors。 It's clear they're both knowledgeable and respectful of their subjects。 There are a handful of popular science and zoology writers who have the gift of writing layman accessibly and engagingly on their topics of expertise。 We can add Drs。 Foitzik and Fritsche to the list。 The translation work is seamless and was completely invisible from my side。 The chapter notes and bibliography are for papers and research presented in English （most science writing is in English these days）。Five stars。 Heartily recommended for readers of science， ecology， and similar subjects。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Petra Zimmermann
，
Die fundierte Fachkenntnis der Autorin und ihre Leidenschaft für die Ameisenforschung ist unverkennbar。 Ich habe sehr viel über die vielseitige Welt der Ameisen gelernt und kann das Buch jedem Naturinteressierten weiterempfehlen。 Es ist gut geschrieben， wird nicht langweilig und lädt zum staunen ein。
Pam Mclaughlin
，
When I was little， and loved everything animal， my parents gave me a book on ants。 It was a little， 32-page paperback with simple black and white drawings - and I loved it。 I read it so many times that it fell to pieces。Reading "Empire of Ants" gave me that same feeling of joy。 Susanne Foitzik and Olaf Fritsche have the gift for communicating their enthusiasm for all things ants to the reader。 They walk that fine line between giving needed information without drowning the reader in superfluous d When I was little， and loved everything animal， my parents gave me a book on ants。 It was a little， 32-page paperback with simple black and white drawings - and I loved it。 I read it so many times that it fell to pieces。Reading "Empire of Ants" gave me that same feeling of joy。 Susanne Foitzik and Olaf Fritsche have the gift for communicating their enthusiasm for all things ants to the reader。 They walk that fine line between giving needed information without drowning the reader in superfluous detail， and do so without condescending to the reader。 They give the reader a good overview of all the ways ants have found to survive and thrive。 There are ants that build nests bigger than a 2-car garage and ants that are so tiny that an entire colony can live inside an acorn; ants that live most of their lives in the tops of rain forest trees， and ants that don't bother building nests at all。 They navigate by chemical signs， sunlight， and， incredibly， by keeping count of how many steps they are from the entrance to their nest。 In between all the information about ants， there are a few asides about the adventures and misfortunes of field biologists （turns out customs officials look at plastic bags full of live ants with a jaundiced eye， and that one should be careful to stand well back when a colony of army ants is on the move）。In short， I recommend this for anyone who loves a good book on natural history。 （based on e-ARC; photos and watercolor drawings look excellent， no index available） 。。。more
Ellen
，
Empire of Ants by Suzanne FoitzikThis book was just what I hoped it would be: a highly readable journey into the world of ants that included lots of factoids I never knew。 Though I knew that ants were “ranchers，” tending to aphids for their honeydew， I hadn’t known they were farmers as well， and that they figured out agriculture millions of years before humans did。 For that matter， they also figured out how to use antibiotics millennia before we started to walk erect。 I knew that ants were fasci Empire of Ants by Suzanne FoitzikThis book was just what I hoped it would be: a highly readable journey into the world of ants that included lots of factoids I never knew。 Though I knew that ants were “ranchers，” tending to aphids for their honeydew， I hadn’t known they were farmers as well， and that they figured out agriculture millions of years before humans did。 For that matter， they also figured out how to use antibiotics millennia before we started to walk erect。 I knew that ants were fascinating creatures with complex societies， but this book showed me that they are even more fascinating and more complex than I ever imagined。Foitzik has a wonderful way with words， and I loved reading her descriptions not only of ants but also of the work of the people who study ants， the myrmecologists。 I won’t be able to see another ant hill without thinking of the people who literally suck the ants up into tubes， package them in freezer bags with pieces of ham for sustenance， and transport them on commercial airlines in order to get them back to the lab to study them。If you like learning fascinating things about science and nature， this book is well worth your time。I received a review copy of this book through Netgalley。 。。。more
Bernie Gourley
，
In love with our own grandeur， most humans don’t give a thought to the magnificence of other species， and this is particularly true of ants。 People use ants as their go-to being to fill in the SAT Analogy “Gods are to Humans as Humans are to ______________。” When we want to explain how some more capable entity （be it a god， a trans-galactic alien species， or an advanced artificial intelligence） is more likely to kill us through indifference than through maliciousness， we draw upon the image of a In love with our own grandeur， most humans don’t give a thought to the magnificence of other species， and this is particularly true of ants。 People use ants as their go-to being to fill in the SAT Analogy “Gods are to Humans as Humans are to ______________。” When we want to explain how some more capable entity （be it a god， a trans-galactic alien species， or an advanced artificial intelligence） is more likely to kill us through indifference than through maliciousness， we draw upon the image of an ant about to be crushed under the boot of a person who’s just going about his day， harboring no ill-will towards his six-legged neighbors。 This book will roll back that smug attitude， impressing the reader not only with all the little-known but intriguing behaviors of ants， but also with the range of skills employed by ants that we humans have always thought of as our unique bailiwick – e。g。 city building， agriculture， slavery， war， and communication of complex ideas。 The book consists of fourteen chapters and a brief epilogue。 The introductory chapter not only prepares the reader to be more impressed by ants， it also explains how crucial ants are collectively to our ecosystems。 Chapter two explores the ant caste system in much more detail than the usual queen / worker / drone distinction， and it also explains how sex is determined in a manner quite different than that to which we are used。 Chapter three continues an extensive discussion of reproduction that was begun in the previous chapter。 Chapter four dives into what might be called the governance of ant colonies。 That may sound grandiose （and， in some sense， it is） but we are talking about huge populations living in a relatively small space。 While sci-fi might have one imagining the queen ruling with an iron first while all others act as mindless automatons， the truth is very different， and – in fact – after establishment of the nest， the queen leaves the the thinking business altogether。 Chapters five and six investigate the subjects of communication and navigation， respectively。 Ants have a tremendously varied set of chemical emitters and receptors， allowing them to communicate a wide range of messages with great clarity。 They also communicate through physical contact。 Anyone who has ever seen a line of ants in convoy probably suspects that ants must be skilled at getting where they need to go and back。 This chapter explains the methods by which ants achieve this purposeful motion， from chemical signals to navigation by the sun to – in some cases – an internal magnetic compass。Chapter seven takes the reader into the realm of ant militaries， elucidating how they hunt， bivouac， and carry out the various tasks required of them。 Chapter eight introduces the question of how colonies （that can be on par with human cities with respect to population） feed everyone， and gives special attention to leafcutter supply chain logistics and in-colony fungiculture。 Chapter nine examines the lives of tree-dwelling ants。 In this chapter， we learn that not only do ants engage in activities we think of as human; some also perform activities we associate with other species – such as silk weaving。 Chapter ten continues the book’s examination of ant agriculture by explaining how some ants keep aphids as livestock [the aphids consume leaves and excrete sugars as a waste product because there is far more of it than they need for their own purposes。] While chapter seven indicated how ants share some of the less palatable habits of humans – specifically， war， chapter eleven delves into some of the downright loathsome activities these insects share with our species – including: enslavement and theft。 Chapter twelve identifies some of the threats to ant health and well-being， including tape worms and fungal parasites。 You may have read about the fungus that can hijack an ant’s nervous system to turn it into a zombie （Ophiocordyceps camponoti-floridani，） eventually the fruiting body of the cordyceps pops out of the ant’s head to release spores （after the fungus has “driven” the ant high up into a tree from which the spores can be widely distributed。） Chapter 13， entitled “The Path to World Domination，” is largely about how invasive species have come to take over in many parts of the world。 This includes fire ants， which the Spanish （unwittingly） hauled from Mexico to the Philippines， from which the insects were dispersed all over the world via trade routes。 While -- throughout the entire book -- intriguing ant behaviors are mentioned， the final chapter collects together a group of particularly unlikely skills that are witnessed among ants。 My favorites were ants that could glide back to tree trunks when knocked off a limb， as well as another species that could catapult themselves through the air。 The book is well-illustrated， employing both drawings and color photographs。 The photographs are particularly useful for showing some of the stranger species and – in a few cases – behaviors that can be difficult to visualize。 There is an extensive “further reading” section that is organized by chapter。 “Empire of Ants” provides a fascinating look at an underappreciated species。 Just as Peter Wohlleben’s “The Hidden Life of Trees” changed the way I looked at trees， this book changed the way I see ants。 I’d highly recommend the book for anyone interested in the natural world。 。。。more
Cary Morton
，
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review。Ants are such fascinating little insects， and Empire of Ants by Susanne Foitzip & Olaf Fritsche does an excellent job of giving the reader a peek into their busy little world。 The book covers a wide array of topics， from how ant queens become queens， to livestock farming - yes… ants take care of other insects， and farm them for resources - crazy， I know！ There's a lot of useful and fascinating info I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review。Ants are such fascinating little insects， and Empire of Ants by Susanne Foitzip & Olaf Fritsche does an excellent job of giving the reader a peek into their busy little world。 The book covers a wide array of topics， from how ant queens become queens， to livestock farming - yes… ants take care of other insects， and farm them for resources - crazy， I know！ There's a lot of useful and fascinating information in this book， but I will warn the reader that it isn't the most complete。While there are some beautiful photographs， you won't find an abundance of them， and you won't find size charts or identification。 This book contains a lot of general information and interesting facts， but it isn't comprehensive， and it won't teach you anything about ant keeping。If you have a mild interest in ants - this will be a great book for you， because you'll probably learn some information you didn't know before。 If you are a more dedicated ant keeper or seeker of knowledge， this may not have enough information for you。 。。。more
Antje
，