Ants in Madagascar can protect their colonies against blindsnakes by symbiotically interacting with a snake and evacuating brood in response to snake intrusions.

Novel cooperative antipredator tactics of an ant specialized against a snake

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid effectively deters ant predators of Utetheisa ornatrix moth eggs, with ants learning to avoid unprotected eggs 33 days after exposure.

Pyrrolizidine alkaloid deters ant predators of Utetheisa ornatrix eggs: effects of alkaloid concentration, oxidation state, and prior exposure of ants to alkaloid-laden prey

Ants foraging collectively and frequently interacting maintain high aggressiveness against potential competitors, promoting adaptive resource defense.

Social interactions promote adaptive resource defense in ants

Ant colonies adjust their aggressive responses to threats, with slave-making ants being the most aggressively treated, while co-occurring competitors and non-nestmate conspecifics are also attacked.

Differential Response of Ant Colonies to Intruders: Attack Strategies Correlate With Potential Threat

Ants in aphid-attending relationships defend their aphids more aggressively against aphid-predators than neighboring colonies, potentially reducing the likelihood of raids by neighboring colonies.

Defensive behavior of ants in a mutualistic relationship with aphids

Leaf beetle larvae can defend against wood ants using host plant-derived secretions, but both strategies provide limited protection near ant nests.

Does ant predation favour leaf beetle specialization on toxic host plants

More aggressive ant species provide better protection for soft scales and mealybugs, reducing parasitization and predation.

More aggressive ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) provide better protection for soft scales and mealybugs (Homoptera: Coccidae, Pseudococcidae).

Camponotus ant species exhibit a high degree of enemy specification, evacuating nests and recruiting major castes when threatened by army ants, with nest defense strategies linked to worker polymorphism.

Avoiding predation by army ants: Defensive behaviours of three ant species of the genus Camponotus


Brazilian ant Forelius pusillus workers perform preemptive self-sacrifice to close the nest entrance at sunset, sacrificing their lives to protect the colony from predators.

Preemptive Defensive Self‐Sacrifice by Ant Workers

Mandible-powered jumps in trap-jaw ants can increase survival rates during predator-prey encounters, providing a unique example of evolutionary co-option.

Mandible-Powered Escape Jumps in Trap-Jaw Ants Increase Survival Rates during Predator-Prey Encounters

African plant-ants protect foliar structures from herbivores, but not reproductive structures, and fruit production is not necessarily correlated with high levels of aggression by resident ants.

Mutualism as reciprocal exploitation: African plant-ants defend foliar but not reproductive structures.

Thief ants, a subterranean ant species, may act as significant predators in ant communities, with their impact varying among ant species and ecosystem types.

Are tiny subterranean ants top predators affecting aboveground ant communities?

Spiders can move like ants to fool predators, making them more vulnerable to attack.

Spiders move like ants to fool predators

Chemical camouflage in Guayaquila xiphias treehoppers protects them from ant predation, allowing them to attract predators without becoming prey themselves.

Attracting Predators without Falling Prey: Chemical Camouflage Protects Honeydew‐Producing Treehoppers from Ant Predation

Wood ants' responses to sawfly defenses are influenced by prey defense status and predator approach behavior, with fully defended larvae surviving more than depleted prey.

Individual and social components of wood ant response to conifer sawfly defence (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Diprionidae)

5HTergic control in the nervous system is key for the initiation of defensive behavior in the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus kuroiwae.

Serotonergic control in initiating defensive responses to unexpected tactile stimuli in the trap-jaw ant Odontomachus kuroiwae.

The big-headed ant Pheidole obtusospinosa uses a multi-phase defensive strategy against army ant raids, including blocking nest entrances with their enlarged heads, potentially due to selective pressure from army ant raids.

Multi-Phase Defense by the Big-Headed Ant, Pheidole obtusospinosa, Against Raiding Army Ants

Insects use their sense of smell to detect threats and perform defensive behaviors, including avoidance, escape, or attack, with some sharing information through alarm pheromones.

Olfactory Strategies in the Defensive Behaviour of Insects

Ants tending milkweed aphids effectively protect them from lethal fungal infections, potentially reducing disease transmission in aphid colonies.

Ants defend aphids against lethal disease

Platythyrea conradti arboreal ants can rapidly capture a wide range of prey, including termites, using a unique crouching and stinging technique.

Prey Capture Behavior in an Arboreal African Ponerine Ant

How do ants protect themselves from predators?

These studies suggest ants protect themselves from predators through symbiotic interactions, chemical deterrents, aggressive defense, adaptive responses, and physical strategies like mandible-powered jumps and preemptive self-sacrifice.