While photographing for the last blog on weaver ants I observed one of the weaver ant worker was carrying another worker in its mandible. This bares the question as to why? Are these individuals being carried lazy or are they injured or even dead? The answer is none of these but is in fact that … Read more
I photographed these major workers of Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) as they were running up and down the laterite wall. I have used 5D SR coupled with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM with Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash. Even though they were moving quite fast I was able to focus on them … Read more
Macro photography is an area where depth of field is an extremely crucial factor. Here the weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) carrying moss in its mouth is captured at f/10. Why so much of this photo is blurred in the photograph above? It’s not due to poor focusing technique. If you look carefully, you’ll see that … Read more
My garden has several nests of weaver ants(Oecophylla smaragdina). Even though I have captured their closeups and nests, after it was constructed, I wanted to witness and capture the nest building steps of this brilliant insect architect. After stalking several nests and getting bitten by their workers, I was finally able to get a good … Read more
Ever the opportunistic photophile, I perchanced upon these foraging major workers of the common weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, locked together in a deep kiss, though even if it does seem like the ants are passionately kissing each other, it serves a whole different purpose altogether. Ants frequently indulge in this ‘kissing’ action, which in scientific … Read more
In my garden I have a huge Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) tree. It has several nests of weaver ants(Oecophylla smaragdina). It was late in the evening. Sun was setting on the western horizon as a golden orb. I spotted few major workers of the Weaver ants climbing up the Indian almond tree. As I went … Read more