PHOTOS: Ants try to carry water to nest

A colony of ants look like they have struck gold as they work together to try to move a giant ball along a thin branch. But what appears to be a priceless nugget is actually a precious droplet of water. As many as two dozen weaver ants (Oecophylla) gather on the branch in a bid to carry the droplet back to their nest.

These images were taken by Prayoga whilst he was in his friend’s garden, five miles from his home in Mataram, Indonesia. The photographer got there at 6am to take these pictures of the ants under a palm tree. “I have always been impressed with ants because of their cooperation and togetherness,” he says of his favorite photographic subject matter.

Photographer’s viewpoint:

“The ants worked hard together, but the dew melted due to heat and light and the movement from ants. After that, they began to overheat and perform activities under the grass and in the nest in order to avoid the heat.” Adhi Prayoga, 42, photographer from Mataram, Indonesia

Weaver ant facts

• Nest-building. Ants create strong ant chains by linking legs to pull and bend plant leaves into desired tent-like constructions. They use their own larvae to secrete a silk used to stitch leaves together.

•Pest control. Some 1,700 years ago, farmers in China first used weaver ants to keep caterpillars, stink bugs and rodents out of their citrus orchards.