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Animal profile

Honeypot Ant

Myrmecocystus mexicanus

InsectaArid and semi-arid scrub and desert, nesting deep in soil

Field profile

Honeypot ants are desert ants in which a caste of workers serves as living food storage. These repletes hang from the ceilings of deep chambers with abdomens swollen with liquid. The behaviour has evolved independently in several unrelated ant lineages.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-09-28

Honeypot Ant

Some honeypot ants become living storage jars

Selected workers are fed until the abdomen swells to the size of a grape and the plates of the exoskeleton are pushed apart. They hang immobile from a chamber ceiling and regurgitate on demand for months.

Read with evidence →

Honeypot Ant | Daily Animal Facts