Weaver Ants capture insects that they find around their nest. The size of the prey is never a concern as the ants work in groups, hauling the dead insect back home. Yes, the best lessons on teamwork are found in the natural world.

Weaver Ants frequently roam around my house searching for prey, and they nest on a tree in my backyard. Being intelligent insects, they hunt whatever they want to, and I have even seen them hunting at night.

One night, they were crawling on a wall near a light, quickly grabbing small insects which were flying around the light. Suddenly, a species of stink bug flew towards the light – the Weaver Ants caught it within a second, holding it with all the power they have. I ran out with my camera and photographed them. The ants carried the stink bug towards a window which was the same colour as the ants, and I got this beautiful photo where the ants seem camouflaged. I observed them for a few hours and they never dropped the stink bug, carrying it all the way to their nest.

The photograph won a Jury Selection prize in the ‘Animal Behaviour’ category at the Nature in Focus Photography Awards 2022.