Melvin Opolka
@melvinopolka.bsky.social
Ant passionate PhD student @unibayreuth.bsky.social | Working with red wood ants and their myrmecophiles throughout Europe as part of the @monitant.bsky.social project 🐜🌳
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Oof…Takashi Komatsu, Taku Shimada, and Munetoshi Maruyama just published a photography book on “The Ant Guests”. The photos are stunning! The book is organized by geographical region, and text is in both Japanese and English. Check it out (and order it) here:
roppon-ashi.jp/en/products/...
roppon-ashi.jp/en/products/...
November 26, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Oof…Takashi Komatsu, Taku Shimada, and Munetoshi Maruyama just published a photography book on “The Ant Guests”. The photos are stunning! The book is organized by geographical region, and text is in both Japanese and English. Check it out (and order it) here:
roppon-ashi.jp/en/products/...
roppon-ashi.jp/en/products/...
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Wisdom, world’s oldest-known bird, returns to Midway Atoll!
earthsky.org
November 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
It feels like Christmas has come early. After the @monitant.bsky.social team has been working busily in forests across the continent, samples from all over Europe are now arriving. Time to unwrap some data about red wood ants. 🐜🎁
November 19, 2025 at 7:59 AM
It feels like Christmas has come early. After the @monitant.bsky.social team has been working busily in forests across the continent, samples from all over Europe are now arriving. Time to unwrap some data about red wood ants. 🐜🎁
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Exciting MonitAnt meeting at the Natural History Museum, Brussels. Great discussions on fieldwork and ant ID, plus a rare glimpse of the museum after hours! 🐜🦖
October 8, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Exciting MonitAnt meeting at the Natural History Museum, Brussels. Great discussions on fieldwork and ant ID, plus a rare glimpse of the museum after hours! 🐜🦖
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
🐜 Hormigas al descubierto: Nueva cita de un escarabajo mirmecófilo
📍Nuestro socio Amonio David Cuesta-Segura ha descubierto la presencia del #escarabajo Sternocoelis incisus en el nido de una #hormiga hospedadora nueva para esta especie: #Iberoformica subrufa.
📍Nuestro socio Amonio David Cuesta-Segura ha descubierto la presencia del #escarabajo Sternocoelis incisus en el nido de una #hormiga hospedadora nueva para esta especie: #Iberoformica subrufa.
September 19, 2025 at 8:50 AM
🐜 Hormigas al descubierto: Nueva cita de un escarabajo mirmecófilo
📍Nuestro socio Amonio David Cuesta-Segura ha descubierto la presencia del #escarabajo Sternocoelis incisus en el nido de una #hormiga hospedadora nueva para esta especie: #Iberoformica subrufa.
📍Nuestro socio Amonio David Cuesta-Segura ha descubierto la presencia del #escarabajo Sternocoelis incisus en el nido de una #hormiga hospedadora nueva para esta especie: #Iberoformica subrufa.
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
1/3🧵Kicking off on #bugsky today & introducing Wood Wide Ants, aka WWA! We're researchers studying the #evolbio of the #ant Formica paralugubris and its kin, through #genomics, #SciComm & #CitizenScience📚🐜🧪🧬🖥️ #insects #mirmecology @sib.swiss @biogeneurope.bsky.social @ergabiodiv.bsky.social
September 22, 2025 at 1:17 PM
1/3🧵Kicking off on #bugsky today & introducing Wood Wide Ants, aka WWA! We're researchers studying the #evolbio of the #ant Formica paralugubris and its kin, through #genomics, #SciComm & #CitizenScience📚🐜🧪🧬🖥️ #insects #mirmecology @sib.swiss @biogeneurope.bsky.social @ergabiodiv.bsky.social
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
go.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:34 PM
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Having a great time at the #gfoe2025 conference in Würzburg. Inspiring talks and great opportunities for scientific exchange 😊 @gfoesoc.bsky.social @reassemblynet.bsky.social @melvinopolka.bsky.social
September 4, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Having a great time at the #gfoe2025 conference in Würzburg. Inspiring talks and great opportunities for scientific exchange 😊 @gfoesoc.bsky.social @reassemblynet.bsky.social @melvinopolka.bsky.social
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
We’re thrilled to announce that the GfÖ Annual Conference 2026 will be a joint event with the Nordic Society OIKOS (NSO), taking place in Odense, Denmark! 🇩🇰✨
See you on 14-17 Sep 2026!
nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...
#NSO2026 #gfoe2026
See you on 14-17 Sep 2026!
nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...
#NSO2026 #gfoe2026
September 3, 2025 at 9:05 AM
We’re thrilled to announce that the GfÖ Annual Conference 2026 will be a joint event with the Nordic Society OIKOS (NSO), taking place in Odense, Denmark! 🇩🇰✨
See you on 14-17 Sep 2026!
nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...
#NSO2026 #gfoe2026
See you on 14-17 Sep 2026!
nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...
#NSO2026 #gfoe2026
The first days at the @gfoesoc.bsky.social have already been amazing with a great show on Monday evening. I also had the opportunity to present our first results from the @monitant.bsky.social project on myrmecophilous diversity in wood ant nests. I'm already looking forward to the next few days.
September 3, 2025 at 7:18 AM
The first days at the @gfoesoc.bsky.social have already been amazing with a great show on Monday evening. I also had the opportunity to present our first results from the @monitant.bsky.social project on myrmecophilous diversity in wood ant nests. I'm already looking forward to the next few days.
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Truly fascinating combination: the wonderful shots by @jan-haft.bsky.social beautifully accompanied by live music of "Orchester des Wandels" 🎶 - what a highlight at the #gfoe2025 Ice Breaker tonight! 🧊🥂
@gfoesoc.bsky.social
@gfoesoc.bsky.social
September 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Truly fascinating combination: the wonderful shots by @jan-haft.bsky.social beautifully accompanied by live music of "Orchester des Wandels" 🎶 - what a highlight at the #gfoe2025 Ice Breaker tonight! 🧊🥂
@gfoesoc.bsky.social
@gfoesoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
A truly amazing highlight of #gfoe2025 at @uni-wuerzburg.de yesterday evening: Jan Haft and members of the Orchestras of Change with their „Climate and Wilderness show“
September 2, 2025 at 7:18 AM
A truly amazing highlight of #gfoe2025 at @uni-wuerzburg.de yesterday evening: Jan Haft and members of the Orchestras of Change with their „Climate and Wilderness show“
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
After many hours of grinding and polishing, finally a complete worker ant ready for patination, assembly, and final polish 🛠️ She looks exhausted too 😅
August 15, 2025 at 1:13 AM
After many hours of grinding and polishing, finally a complete worker ant ready for patination, assembly, and final polish 🛠️ She looks exhausted too 😅
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Tiny but mighty! 🐜
From farming to engineering, ants display remarkable feats. Part of their success as a species is due to their ability to form complex, cooperative societies. 🧪🌏
Read more in @theconversation.com
From farming to engineering, ants display remarkable feats. Part of their success as a species is due to their ability to form complex, cooperative societies. 🧪🌏
Read more in @theconversation.com
Hold up, humans. Ants figured out medicine, farming and engineering long before we did
Ants may be tiny – but by working together they build complex societies and solve many problems. They might even teach humans a thing or two?
bit.ly
August 12, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Tiny but mighty! 🐜
From farming to engineering, ants display remarkable feats. Part of their success as a species is due to their ability to form complex, cooperative societies. 🧪🌏
Read more in @theconversation.com
From farming to engineering, ants display remarkable feats. Part of their success as a species is due to their ability to form complex, cooperative societies. 🧪🌏
Read more in @theconversation.com
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Look at the size of this wood ant nest! (Or perhaps I'm just smaller than you thought). This is a Northern Hairy Wood Ant nest in the Lake District, sampled by @melvinopolka.bsky.social and me for the @monitant.bsky.social project this year.
August 5, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Look at the size of this wood ant nest! (Or perhaps I'm just smaller than you thought). This is a Northern Hairy Wood Ant nest in the Lake District, sampled by @melvinopolka.bsky.social and me for the @monitant.bsky.social project this year.
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Congratulations to our colleague @sabinenooten.bsky.social from the Chemical Ecology group at @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social on receiving the Marcella Boveri Prize of the @uni-wuerzburg.de Biocenter, and on her great presentation of her work on insect #ecology and #biogeography
July 23, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Congratulations to our colleague @sabinenooten.bsky.social from the Chemical Ecology group at @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social on receiving the Marcella Boveri Prize of the @uni-wuerzburg.de Biocenter, and on her great presentation of her work on insect #ecology and #biogeography
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Invasive Tapinoma ants at Ingelheim station Germany are so determined they’re crossing rails to get food. Total takeover 😮
July 20, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Invasive Tapinoma ants at Ingelheim station Germany are so determined they’re crossing rails to get food. Total takeover 😮
The last few weeks have been special as I was a guest of @elvarobinson.bsky.social in York for field research. Together with her and Igor Siedlecki, I travelled across the UK, successfully carrying out sampling for the @monitant.bsky.social. I'm excited to see the results of this data.
July 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
The last few weeks have been special as I was a guest of @elvarobinson.bsky.social in York for field research. Together with her and Igor Siedlecki, I travelled across the UK, successfully carrying out sampling for the @monitant.bsky.social. I'm excited to see the results of this data.
Last week we were out in Hunsrück National Park for some @monitant.bsky.social fieldwork. The area is truly fascinating, with extensive zones affected by bark beetles interspersed with old wood ant nests. Already looking forward to seeing the results, especially from the myrmecophile sampling! 🪲
May 19, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Last week we were out in Hunsrück National Park for some @monitant.bsky.social fieldwork. The area is truly fascinating, with extensive zones affected by bark beetles interspersed with old wood ant nests. Already looking forward to seeing the results, especially from the myrmecophile sampling! 🪲
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Did you know about these tiny shiny ants (red arrow) living with wood ants (blue arrow)? They are Shining Guest Ants (Formicoxenus) and we have recently discovered that a wood ant nest can be home to several genetically distinct colonies of these 'guests'! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author... 1/5
May 7, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Did you know about these tiny shiny ants (red arrow) living with wood ants (blue arrow)? They are Shining Guest Ants (Formicoxenus) and we have recently discovered that a wood ant nest can be home to several genetically distinct colonies of these 'guests'! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author... 1/5
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
It's time to talk about social insects! 🐜🐝 This summer, the Central European section of IUSSI is holding its conferences in Szeged. Registration is already open! More info 👉🏼
ce-iussi-meeting-szeged2025.iussi.de
ce-iussi-meeting-szeged2025.iussi.de
May 12, 2025 at 5:50 PM
It's time to talk about social insects! 🐜🐝 This summer, the Central European section of IUSSI is holding its conferences in Szeged. Registration is already open! More info 👉🏼
ce-iussi-meeting-szeged2025.iussi.de
ce-iussi-meeting-szeged2025.iussi.de
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Over the past four days, the MonitAnt team has been meeting in Germany for a really productive workshop, even with new faces. A lot was discussed and prepared and now we are ready for another successful field season in 2025!
Can you guess what we wanted to show in the last picture? 🐜
Can you guess what we wanted to show in the last picture? 🐜
April 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Over the past four days, the MonitAnt team has been meeting in Germany for a really productive workshop, even with new faces. A lot was discussed and prepared and now we are ready for another successful field season in 2025!
Can you guess what we wanted to show in the last picture? 🐜
Can you guess what we wanted to show in the last picture? 🐜
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...
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
April 9, 2025 at 8:43 AM
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...
blog.myrmecologicalnews.org/2025/04/09/m...
Reposted by Melvin Opolka
Here is a particularly elegant-looking ponerine ant, the termite hunter Ophthalmopone berthoudi. Colonies of this species don’t have queens, but instead, some of the workers mate and become reproductively active “gamergates”. Mpala Research Center, Kenya.
January 29, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Here is a particularly elegant-looking ponerine ant, the termite hunter Ophthalmopone berthoudi. Colonies of this species don’t have queens, but instead, some of the workers mate and become reproductively active “gamergates”. Mpala Research Center, Kenya.