Brian Bevan / Close-up of a group of Wood ants (Formica rufa) carrying a dead insect back to their nest, Bedfordshire, England, UK, August.

Brian Bevan / Close-up of a group of Wood ants (Formica rufa) carrying a dead Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) back to their nest, Bedfordshire, England, UK, August.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight, Surrey, England, August.

Solvin Zankl / Fire Ant (Solenopsis geminata) head of a major worker with mandibles used for opening seeds. Specimen photographed using digital focus stacking

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) two minor workers with major worker, minor workers removing a dead major worker out of the nest. Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Brian Bevan / Close-up of a group of Wood ants (Formica rufa) carrying a dead Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) back to their nest, Bedfordshire, England, UK, August.

Brian Bevan / Wood ant (Formica rufa) activity at nest, Bedfordshire, England, UK, August.

Dave Bevan / Wood ants (Formica rufa) moving along a tree root, Bedfordshire, England, UK. September.

Dave Bevan / Wood ants (Formica rufa) moving a dead Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), Bedfordshire, England, UK. September.

Dave Bevan / Wood ants (Formica rufa) moving a dead Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), Bedfordshire, England, UK. September.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker feeding on Victoria plum. Surrey, England, August.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight, Surrey, England, August.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight carrying debris from the nest. Surrey, England, August.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight, Surrey, England, August.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight carrying masticated insect material to the nest. Surrey, England, August.

Nick Upton / Wide shot of Hornet (Vespa crabro) workers emerging from their nest in a hollow tree trunk as others arrive and enter, Lower woods, Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Hornet (Vespa crabro) workers emerging from their nest in a hollow tree trunk, with one stopping to fan its wings in the entrance to ventilate the nest, Lower Woods Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust rese...

Nick Upton / Four Hornet (Vespa crabro) workers flying back to their nest in a hollow tree trunk and another emerging, Lower Woods Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserve, Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England, UK, Oct...

Nick Upton / Hornet (Vespa crabro) workers arriving back at their nest in a hollow tree trunk, with others emerging and one clearing debris from inside, Lower Woods Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserve, Wickwar,...

Nick Upton / Hornet (Vespa crabro) workers arriving back at and entering their nest was others emerge and fly past, Lower Woods Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserve, Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England, UK, Octob...

Nick Upton / Two Hornet (Vespa crabro) workers arriving back at and entering their nest in a hollow tree trunk, Lower Woods Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust reserve, Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England, UK, October.

Kim Taylor / RF- European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight, Surrey, England, August.

Kim Taylor / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker in flight, Surrey, England, August.

Nick Upton / Hornet (Vespa crabro) returning to nest in hollow tree, guard visible at entrance. Another worker crawls over the surface of the nest. Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Three Hornets (Vespa crabro) guarding nest entrance in hollow tree. One wing fanning to help cool it. Gloucestershire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Hornet (Vespa crabro) checked by a guard as it returns to the entrance of its nest, Gloucestershire, UK, October.

D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook / Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) researcher surveying nest cavities for eggs using video camera, Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria, Australia

D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook / Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) researcher surveying nest cavities for eggs using video camera, Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria, Australia

D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook / Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) researcher surveying nest cavities for eggs using video camera, Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria, Australia

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) major worker ant smashes the mid-section of a long centipede caught during a raid, which the smallest minor worker ants have pinned down, Celebes Island, Indonesi...

Nick Upton / Major worker of European Harvester Ant (Messor sp.) dragging a small Plantain flowerhead towards its nest. Algarve, Portugal, June.

Mark Moffett / Ant (Carebara sp), major workers walking in line, Malaysia

Mark Moffett / Bulldog Ant (Myrmecia gulosa), minor worker beneath major worker, eastern Australia

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus), major worker lifting twig from trail with head, Borneo

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus), major worker carrying many minor workers, Borneo

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) minor workers attacking termite soldier at front lines of a raid, Borneo

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus), major worker cutting twig impeding trail, Borneo

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) major worker crushing termite soldier that little minor workers are pinning down, Borneo

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) carrying leaf, about to be landed on by tiny parasitic fly which will attempt to lay an egg on the submajor, the egg will then hatch into a larva which will consume the an...

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) major worker. Also called a soldier, its primary job is defending the colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) soldier's mandibles are curved like fishooks which soldiers cannot extract once they've bitten a victim, thereby dooming themselves, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) major worker biting human. Also called a soldier, its primary job is defending the colony, Barro Colorado Island

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) major and minor workers protecting colony food cache, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) small minor workers grooming sub-major ant, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton i) two soldiers or major workers patrolling edge of trail, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) major and minor workers carry dead prey back to feed colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) major workers carrying prey back to feed colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) major worker. Also called a soldier, its primary job is defending the colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton i) soldier fighting two smaller workers of rival army ant (Eciton hamatum) species. The two colonies sparred for an hour in a chance meeting and retreated without fatalities, Barro Co...

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) major worker or soldier, whose main job is defending the colony, biting human finger with sharp and powerful mandibles, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) soldier is cornered by smaller worker of rival Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) species, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton burchellii) workers of different sizes carry food back to colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton i) submajor and smaller workers carry food back to colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Piotr Naskrecki / Leafcutter Ant (Atta sp) major worker carrying a piece of leaf to feed the underground fungal garden these insects cultivate, Guyana

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) major worker transports pair of minor worker ants

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) group of major and minor workers collecting seeds from harvest grass, major worker pulls seeds out and hands them to minor workers

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) minor workers and a major worker carry caterpillar back to nest

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) swarm of minor workers with major worker carry lizard that is still alive, but its legs have been torn off

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) major worker rearing up over vanquished foreign ant of another species, that it has just killed

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) major worker chopping off head of intruder ant

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) major worker ants on gang killing rampage

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) minor worker on the head of a major worker from the same nest, the major worker shown here has a head width almost exactly ten-fold that of the minor, 56mm versus...

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) portrait of major worker with minor workers showing vast size difference of the caste members, approximately 9x magnification, Malaysia

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) portrait of major worker carrying minor workers on its back

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus) portrait of major worker carrying minor workers on its back, Malaysia

D. Parer & E. Parer-Cook / Major Mitchell's Cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri) researchers surveying nest cavities for eggs using video camera, Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria, Australia

Mark Moffett / Marauder Ant (Pheidologeton diversus), major worker killing an intruder who tried to get through the trunk trail, Malaysia

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) major worker biting finger mandibles while stinging which turns the finger red. Also called a soldier, its primary job is defending the colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Mark Moffett / Army Ant (Eciton hamatum) major worker biting finger mandibles while stinging which turns the finger red. Also called a soldier, its primary job is defending the colony, Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Roman Willi / European hornet (Vespa crabro) feeding on nectar from Arborescent ivy (Hedera helix arborescens) flower, Lucerne, Switzerland, September.

Roman Willi / European hornet (Vespa crabro) feeding on nectar from Arborescent ivy (Hedera helix arborescens) flower, Lucerne, Switzerland, September.

Doug Wechsler / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker fanning wings to cool nest in hollow tree, Merion Botanical Park, Pennsylvania, USA. September.

Doug Wechsler / European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker fanning wings to cool nest in hollow tree, Merion Botanical Park, Pennsylvania, USA. September.

Roland Seitre / An adult European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker at the nest, working and making paper from cellulose, near Tour, Central France.

Roland Seitre / An adult European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker at the nest, working and making paper from cellulose, starting a new level of honeycomb, near Tour, Central France.

Roland Seitre / A European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker at the nest, near Tour, Central France.

Roland Seitre / A European hornet (Vespa crabro) worker at nest working and making paper from cellulose, near Tour, Central France.

Nick Upton / Southern wood ant (Formica rufa) nest surface, with workers and emerging winged male alates, in heathland, Dorset, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Close-up of Wood ant (Formica rufa) workers at their nest entrance, some bringing out small sticks, Dorset, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Close-up of Wood ant (Formica rufa) workers entering and exiting nest, Dorset, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Close-up of Wood ant (Formica rufa) workers at their nest entrance, some bringing out small sticks, Dorset, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Panning shot of Wood ant (Formica rufa) workers entering and exiting nest, some bringing out small sticks, Dorset, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Panning shot of Wood ant (Formica rufa) workers entering and exiting nest, some bringing out small sticks, Dorset, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Wood ants (Formica rufa) at nest entrance, Dorset, England, UK, July.