About a million army ants were recorded forming an organic bridge in a wasp-nest invasion. Electrical engineer Francisco Boni shot the video in Brazil and uploaded it to his Twitter page. The video has since gone viral, attaining almost 13,000 retweets and 28,000 likes.
Boni wrote on the social media platform that “the level of swarm intelligence and collective computation to form that bridge” was impressive.
He added that the wasps usually escaped and the ants saw things through – they do not leave the invasion party until they have completely emptied the nest of loot, that being pupae, larvae, eggs, and even adult wasps that were unable to get away.
Some netizens questioned the logic behind the bridge, arguing that it would be simpler just to walk across the roof instead of building a complex structure.
However, Boni had an effective explanation for the doubters, saying ants cannot carry substantial payloads walking upside down, despite their ability to stick to the surface.
Army ants get their name for their aggressive “raiding” groups.
