In leaf-cutter ants, this coating is made of thousands of tiny, plate-like crystals that harden their exoskeleton. This “armor” helps prevent the insects from losing limbs in battles with ...

The queen is a leaf-cutter ant–one of the most intriguing and potentially harmful insects on […] Skip to content. All Sections. Subscribe Now. 73°F. Tuesday, July 8th 2025 ...

First, two lilies disappeared from the garden. Then, a crape myrtle tree was stripped overnight. Tina Ramirez's house in the Harper's Landing neighborhood of The Woodlands was under attack. Every ...

The leaf cutter ant (Atta rodona) is a fungus-growing ant that inhabits tropical regions like Manu. Groups of these ants are often seen at night dismantling area vegetation leaf by leaf. During a ...

A leaf-cutter ant. Leaf-cutter ants harvest leaves, chop them into nutritious pulp, feed the pulp to nourish their cultivated crops of fungus, and harvest the fungus to feed themselves.

The Year the Leaf-Cutter Ants Took Manhattan In January, the American Museum of Natural History’s new insectarium gained 500,000 tenants. It has taken them some time to find their footing.

Leaf-cutter ants are known as "gardeners" because they use leaf-cuttings as fertilizer to grow fungus. 03:14. The cultivated fungus becomes food for the queen ant and her larvae. 03:21.