History Main / AntWar

** Asian marauder ants have various castes, most notably an enormous supermajor caste that can reach an inch in length and weigh up to 50 times as much as a standard worker. The marauder ants's main tactic against other ant colonies and termites is to ZergRush the enemy nest with the smaller workers to weaken their defenses, before sending a final wave of the big majors and supermajors to finish the job.

* ''Empires of the Undergrowth'' is this trope distilled, with a good bit of {{Edutainment}} along the way, though it uses a fictional ant species, the Formica Ereptor, as a [[ArtisticLicenseBiology handwave to how different species coexist in the same colony.]]

* Yes, ants really do have wars. But no tactics and strategy except [[ZergRush sheer numbers]]!
** Some do take slaves.
** One species has a special suicide bomber caste (the aptly known "exploding ant")

* ''[[VideoGame/SwarmSimulator Swarm Simulator: Evolution]]'' is an IdleGame where you control a HordeOfAlienLocusts. There's an Invasion mechanic where you declare war on an enemy colony's leader for 2 days. During this period, said enemy's bugs will periodically appear and move around the screen, clicking on them kills them and reduces the enemy's army size, but if they escape they will steal your resources. You win once the enemy's army size is reduced to 0 before two days pass.

* ''[[VideoGame/SwarmSimulator Swarm Simulator Evolution]]'' is an IdleGame where you control a HordeOfAlienLocusts. There's an Invasion mechanic where you declare war on an enemy colony's leader for 2 days. During this period, said enemy's bugs will periodically appear and move around the screen, clicking on them kills them and reduces the enemy's army size, but if they escape they will steal your resources. You win once the enemy's army size is reduced to 0 before two days pass.

* Creator/TerryPratchett once depicted War (the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Horseman of the Apocalypse]]) watching a battle between red and black ants.

[[AC:{{Film}} - Live-Action]]

* In''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'', a swarm of marching locusts (who were merely called 'grasshoppers') constantly terrorize a colony of ants, stealing their food. The ants eventually rise up against their oppressors, resulting in this trope.

* The DuelingMovies ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' both had such wars -- in the former, between ants and termites, in the latter, between ants and marching locusts (who were merely called 'grasshoppers').

* One episode of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Jumanji}}'' animated series featured a war between giant red ants and black ants started by a [[SillyReasonForWar rather stupid reason]].

* Creator/GeorgeRRMartin wrote "Sandkings," a short story about a species of warring, antlike creatures sold as pets. It doesn't end well.

* BernardWerber's ''Literature/EmpireOfTheAnts'', especially the first book's battle between the ''Formica rufa'' (wood ant) and ''Linepithema humile'' (Argentine ant).

* Creator/TerryPratchett once depicted War (the [[FourHorsemen horseman]]) watching a battle between red and black ants.

Not to be confused with BugWar, where regular-sized humans are at war with BigCreepyCrawlies.

* Yes, ants really do have wars. But no tactics and strategy!

Not to be confused with BugWar.

* In a very old example of an UnbuiltTrope, Myth/GreekMythology, the soldiers Achilles commands in the ''Literature/TheIliad'' are called the Myrmidons, or, in Greek, "ant-people." This name came from their origin as ants turned into warriors by Zeus in answer to a king's prayer to repopulate his country after a plague. The word "myrmidon" has come to denote any mindless group of subordinates, and is essentially the source of the allegory on which this trope is based.

* The DuelingMovies ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' both had such wars -- in the former, between ants and termites, in the latter, between ants and marching locusts (who were somewhat inexactly called 'grasshoppers').

--> Pranet Xiron is inhabited with Xipods rike me/
But arso with Balmacs who are giant bees/
--> The Xipods and the Balmacs are at constant war\
--> So we wanted a new home and that's what Earf was for\
--> But you are worthress Arec Barrwin, you are worthress Arec Barrwin\
--> You fucked up my whole pran\

--> Pranet Xiron is inhabited with Xipods rike me\
--> But arso with Balmacs who are giant bees\

But arso with Balmacs who are giant bees\
The Xipods and the Balmacs are at constant war\
So we wanted a new home and that's what Earf was for\
But you are worthress Arec Barrwin, you are worthress Arec Barrwin\
You fucked up my whole pran\
And now Xiron is smeared with Balmac porren....

--> Pranet Xiron is inhabited with Xipods rike me\\
But arso with Balmacs who are giant bees\\
The Xipods and the Balmacs are at constant war\\
So we wanted a new home and that's what Earf was for\\
But you are worthress Arec Barrwin, you are worthress Arec Barrwin\\
You fucked up my whole pran\\

* Seen in ''Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants''. A group of black ants carrying a box of sugary cookies come across a squad of villainous red ants. The pursuit for the candies escalates into a war once the black ants reach their ant hill and they're helpless before the larger numbers and militaristic power of the red ants. They have a number of fireworks to turn the tides with, but only a single match, so the ladybug protagonist is sent into a search for a box of matches for its friends to use.

* WesternAnimation/TheAntBully has a subplot about a war of the ants with the dragonflies, though by the end they go EnemyMine against the larger threat, the Exterminator and by the end it seems they have struck a permanent peace.

* In a very old example of an UnbuiltTrope, GreekMythology, the soldiers Achilles commands in the ''Literature/TheIliad'' are called the Myrmidons, or, in Greek, "ant-people." This name came from their origin as ants turned into warriors by Zeus in answer to a king's prayer to repopulate his country after a plague. The word "myrmidon" has come to denote any mindless group of subordinates, and is essentially the source of the allegory on which this trope is based.