Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · 8d

Throwback to when I met my first trapjaw #ant (Odontomachus brunneus) in South Alabama. She gave me a little kiss, but it would be weeks later until I got my first sting. Ponerine venom feels really different from myrmecine, don't you think?

4

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · 9d

Ah! I forgot to tag @insectessociaux.bsky.social !

1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · 9d

Want to learn about social #insect nests? Can't (or don't want to) read our giant review? Lead author Paige Caine wrote a blog post for #InsectesSociaux summing up the broad strokes of our synthesis and conclusions looking at #termite #wasp #bee and #ant nests!
insectessociaux.com/2025/09/27/i...

Insect architects: How termites, ants, and bees build without blueprints

by Paige Caine Paige Caine is a PhD student in Dr. Michael Goodisman’s lab at Georgia Tech. She study fire ants and yellowjackets wasps. In this blog, she explains how social insects, such as…

insectessociaux.com

1 1 4

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · 27d

Sooo excited to share that our social #insect nest review is finally out! There is so much ground to cover between #termites #wasps #bees and #ants. I was thrilled to help out with this effort (and provide some cool photos!). Enjoy!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Architecture of the insect society: comparative analysis of collective construction and social function of nests - Insectes Sociaux

Many social insects construct nests, which are fundamentally important to the success and survival of the colony. We review recent work on understanding the construction and function of social insect ...

link.springer.com

1 1 3

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Sep 4

#Ants are totally wild!! From obligately chimeric males to hybridogenesis and now "xenoparity" they really have just about every mode of reproduction I can think of. And probably a few that I can't!

Link to this fascinating new article:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature

In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...

www.nature.com

1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Aug 27

Assassin #bugs look so metal 🤘

This nice fella was on my front door. Thanks for the free pest control!

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Jul 14

I'm planning to post more cool #ant pictures from my short time in #Colombia but I can't resist sharing this spiny #Trachymyrmex in the meantime. What big eyes she has! 👀

2

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Jun 17

If I have my timelines correct, Ed had moved on to Harvard by this point. Walter Tschinkel writes on the fire ant wars quite well in his 2006 book The Fire Ants, one of my all-time favorites.

1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Jun 17

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

The US waged three wars against fire ants early in their arrival to the US nearly 100 years ago (through my hometown!). They dropped a variety of poisons with actual bombers across the southeast that likely hurt native animals more.

Don Yee @mosquitolab.bsky.social · Jun 17

What is common knowledge in your field, but. shocks outsiders?

>90% of mosquito species (3700+) do not spread pathogens to humans.

Sarah Whorley, Ph.D. @dralgaegirl.bsky.social · Jun 17

What is common knowledge in your field, but. shocks outsiders?

Most algae isn't bad or harmful. #NotAllAlgae

1 5

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Jun 17

It's national #Pollinator week in the US! Here are a couple photos of native #bees, a paper #wasp, and the best #mosquito I've ever met! Where would we be without them 💚

4

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Jun 12

@sarahmackattack.bsky.social is it wrong if I call squid ink teuth paste?

1 1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Jun 4

A trip to California absolutely means trying my hand at #ant #macrophotography

3

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · May 14

Finally, we have males. These look more similar to wasps than ants, and bear small wing spots on the outer margins, near the abdomen

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · May 14

This is all in service to the family. She has a mother and plenty of sisters and juveniles to feed. The queens are almost indistinguishable, bearing wing scars on the larger thorax and an abdomen ready for oviposition. Can you spot her?

1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · May 14

Without hope, this worker #termite fights back against it's predator, biting her leg. Ultimately, the needle ant beats the crap out of it. Literally.

1 1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · May 14

I had a photoshoot with the #NeedleAnts today, #brachyponera chinensis. I couldn't decide what to post, so here's a thread, starting with predation on a favorite meal here in Atlanta, a #Reticulitermes worker

2 4

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Apr 27

A new neighbor moved in this spring. Polistes exclamans is so vibrant

3

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Apr 14

Walking the tightrope is a bit less impressive when you have 6 legs tipped with claws and gripping pads. But hey, you're in the show!

#solenopsis #ants #fireants

1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Apr 3

Any camponotus alates or is it still too early?

1 1

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Mar 3

Meeting up at the (sugar) watering hole

Getting some more practice with my #macro lens and some #solenopsis invicta fire #ants . You can tell not only the variation in size, but also age! The smaller, pale ants below (called callows) will turn darker as they age.

4

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Mar 1

Oh wait, I think it's #Formica pallidefulva. Either way, I'm happy to see her

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Feb 28

Got a simple clip on #macro lens for my phone, and I think it's working alright. A #camponotus worker #ant with pretty well developed ocelli sat still just long enough for a half decent photo

1 3

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Feb 21

Can't we all just get along? Apparently not. These #fireant workers from the same nest apparently had a score to settle. They disengaged eventually, but sometimes it feels like we're living in an #ant hill

2

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Feb 12

Happy #DarwinDay! Today, we celebrate biology, diversity, and the environment. I'm always so excited to learn more about the world we share with such amazing creatures.

Don't be afraid to flip over rocks or ask questions, you might just learn something by accident!🐜

I'm holding a crawfish while leading a class in stream sampling

Pheidole obscurithorax "big-headed" ants. Major and minor workers forage on the ground

3

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · Feb 10

What a cool study! A great idea to use #drones to capture reproductive #ants during nuptial flights. Maybe if I can attach my bug net to my drone, then I can catch some live queens for colony founding or even fill in data on ant #phenology
Link to study:
www.researchgate.net/publication/...

(PDF) An adhesive drone trap to study the flight altitude preferences of winged ants

PDF | On Jan 11, 2025, Daniele Giannetti and others published An adhesive drone trap to study the flight altitude preferences of winged ants | Find, read and cite all the research you need on Research...

www.researchgate.net

1