Renowned myrmecologist and founder of sociobiology, Edward Wilson summarizes his 80 years of experience in studying ants and tells us amazing stories about insects that we usually don't notice. Ants play a much larger role in shaping ecosystems than we realize. The total weight of all living ants is approximately equal to the weight of all people on Earth, and their number is about 10 quadrillion, so it is not known who is the true owner of our planet. Describing their habits and social life, the author notes that ants are far from perfect in terms of human morality: this is a completely female world in which the fate of males is unenviable; at the same time they are very warlike, slavery, parasitism and even cannibalism flourish among them. At the same time, their complex joint actions and the need to navigate in space require a developed intellect and communication, which is based on pheromones. The book tells about the huge variety of these insects, among which there are species living in symbiosis with plants, nomadic species that destroy everything in their path, ants engaged in agriculture - "animal husbandry" and the cultivation of mushrooms ... Edward Wilson cites many interesting facts from his own life and the lives of other scientists, talking, for example, about the search for the "ant of the beginning of time." The book is written with great love for nature, the author encourages us to love and understand these "hard-working babies" who live side by side with us.
