Ant-myrmecophile interaction: Formica sanguinea and the food begging rove beetle Dinarda dentata

Our study on complex cryptic co-infections of Spiroplasma in European Myrmica ants is now published with @tparmentier.bsky.social @emmavanreempts.bsky.social @selfishmeme.bsky.social Tessa, Wouter and Diego doi.org/10.1111/mec.... .

Ontdek alles rond hoe detectiehonden kunnen worden ingezet om rode bosmierkoepels op te sporen en te monitoren, geen aprilgrap :). Ik zal hier ook een praatje doen over mierengasten bij bosmieren

INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest)@inbo.be · 4mo ago

Kom naar de MIERENDAG 2026 van het Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen @odiseehogeschool.bsky.social en het INBO 📅 Di 26 mei 2026 - 9u-13u 📍 Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen, Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussel 📩 Schrijf je hier in vóór 20/05: forms.gle/ucSykHwn2iRA...

We found that Rickia wasmannii, known from Myrmica workers, also infects queens, males, and larvae, with spillover to nest associates (incl. Lomechusa). doi.org/10.1007/s000... Complex dynamics in the ant microcosm --> more ant–fungus work coming @insectessociaux.bsky.social @dhaelewa.bsky.social

Sampling huge red wood ant mounds in the Belgian Ardennes @monitant.bsky.social

Insects usually care for their own young, but sometimes they also help other species. This #RSOS study found that yellow meadow #ants protect the eggs of root aphids in their nests during winter. Read more: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @tparmentier.bsky.social @wybouw.bsky.social

Ants meet woodlice, discover the hidden world of their interactions in our new review. We explore the full spectrum of ant-woodlice relationships: from predation, to facilitation, and eventually to facultative and obligate ant association. doi.org/10.1016/j.ej... @ulbrecherche.bsky.social

New paper with @wybouw.bsky.social on the protection of aphid eggs in ant nests: doi.org/10.1098/rsos... *black eggs --> Anoecia zirnitsi, host: Lasius flavus *eggs rapidly retrieved among ant brood and protected against predators and fungi *mediated by chemical cues, transferred to glass dummies

Red wood ants can be mite magnets ...

🌲Exciting Summer internship in Warsaw for Students! 🐜 Dive into the fascinating world of forest ant ecology while completing your university internship! Don't miss this unique opportunity to gain valuable field experience and expand your knowledge. Check the details below 👇🏼

Formica sanguinea interacting with Dinarda dentata, a game of evasion, stealth and perfumes

Special Issue 🦋 A glimpse into a little-known world: Organisms associated with social arthropods Deadline for submission: 31 March 2026 link.springer.com/journal/40/u...

Insectes Sociaux

Insectes Sociaux is a journal dedicated to the biology and evolution of social insects and other Arthropods. The official journal of the International Union ...

link.springer.com

The first imago of the ant bag beetle Clytra quadripunctata this year, note the empty cases of the larvae that pupate in the nest of the previous years

Happy to see that a small article Elia Nalini (from @euracalpenv.bsky.social ) and I wrote for the myrmecological news blog is now finally published! 🐜 We present our @monitant.bsky.social project and also our Citizen Science approach. 🔎 blog.myrmecologicalnews.org/2025/04/09/m...

MonitAnt: European-level monitoring strategy for mound-building Formica ants

Formica rufa workers engaged in food sharing (trophallaxis) (© Elia Nalini) In the popular imagination, when we think about environmentally impactful ants, the first images that come to mind are of...

blog.myrmecologicalnews.org

A histerid beetle during takeoff. We found this specimen in an army ant refuse deposit in Costa Rica, but we never figured out what species it is.

The blind white isopod Platyarthrus hoffmannseggii thrives in #ant nests, abundant in temperate Europe and introduced in USA. Much more to discover about this #myrmecophile ... Some years ago, we reported surprisingly differences in body size across host species doi.org/10.1093/biol...

#waspday at @NHM London!! look this amazing Polybia nest!!! thanks @gavinbroad.bsky.social with @waspwoman.bsky.social @femi-benny.bsky.social @ionace.bsky.social

As a first post, we can now announce that we have started our already successful Citizen Science project on INaturalist. 👉http://bit.ly/4i7Uh7w Once joined, every observation can be assigned to this project (even retrospectively). So please share this and map out some ant mounds. 🐜🌳

Red wood ants (Formica polyctena) retrieving a caterpillar prey

Giant Stomaphis aphids with exceptionally long rostra are usually hidden in crevices, but last month they were out in the open, massively tended by Lasius fuliginosus ants on a maple stem #Entomology #Aphids #Ants #Symbionts