History Main / AntWar

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This trope is TruthInTelevision, making ants one of a handful of species, among such examples as chimpanzees and humans to engage in organised warfare.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAntBully'' has a subplot about a war of the ants with the wasps, 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.

* ''[[VideoGame/SwarmSimulator Swarm Simulator:]] [[UpdatedRerelease 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.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Greatest", among many other good deeds, Wander finds a blue and red ant fighting over a peanut and intervenes by splitting it in half for them; doing so put a stop to a thousand year war between the blue and red ant colonies who were armed with mini catapults, tanks and warheads.

** Some do take slaves. The slavemaker ants are an extreme of this behavior, as their colony only produces soldiers and not workers, who must constantly raid other nests for pupae or starve to death as they can't eat on their own and must be fed by slave workers (because their jaws are so grossly enlarged, perfect for tearing apart rival ants but with the unfortunate consequence that they ''[[CripplingOverspecialization can no longer even chew their food.]]''
** One species has a special suicide bomber caste (the aptly known "exploding ant"). They have glands in their heads that allow them to [[YourHeadASplode blow up their own heads]] and cover enemies in sticky, toxic fluids.

* ''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.

War between social insects, usually ants against other ants. Though it takes place on a much smaller scale than human warfare, the insects will be regimented like human soldiers and use tactics familiar to humans. This familiar association makes political allegory all but inevitable.

* Happens (perhaps without the metaphor) in ''VideoGame/SimAnt'', naturally.

* Done in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' when the Team first morph ants and have to pass through a different colony. This, and the general HiveMind of ants, was so horrifying that they swore to never morph ants again. In fact, the Animorphs find it so bad, Jake vetoed any plan that relied on the team morphing a social insect. Their next attempt (bees), was only allowed because they promised the bee they would morph would be from the same hive that was in the mission area.

** Invoked another time. Rachel, as a grizzly bear, is injured and passes out near a colony. Said ants were ''eating her alive'' and unable to wake her, Jake learned a different colony to her hoping the war would buy enough time for her to wake.

* Creator/TerryPratchett once depicted War (of the HorsemenOfTheApocalypse) watching a battle between red and black ants in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime''. He remarks to [[TheGrimReaper Death]] that while peaceful times among humans come and go, ants never seem to learn.

** Some do take slaves. The slavemaker ants are an extreme of this behavior, as their colony only produces soldiers and not workers, who must constantly raid other nests for pupae or starve to death as they can't eat on their own and must be fed by slave workers.

* Done in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' including one intentionally started war to get attacking ants off an unconscious Rachel. Said ants were ''eating her alive''. In fact, the Animorphs find it so bad, Jake vetoed any plan that relied on the team morphing a social insect. Their next attempt (bees), was only allowed because they promised the bee they would morph would be from the same hive that was in the mission area.

* ''VideoGame/BeeFense'' is a tower-defense/RTS game about a war between the protagonist bees against the Hornet Queen and her swarm, as well as assorted other bugs such rhino beetles, fleas, and [[IncrediblyLamePun zombees]].

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* 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.
* Seen in ''Film/MinusculeValleyOfTheLostAnts''. A group of black ants is carrying a box of sugar cubes come across a squad of villainous red ants who promptly launch pursuit. This 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.
* ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice''. In the lyrics to "You Are Worthress, Arec Barrwin," which plays over the closing credits:
--> 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
--> And now Xiron is smeared with Balmac porren....

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* Done in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' including one intentionally started war to get attacking ants off an unconscious Rachel. Said ants were ''eating her alive''.
** In fact, the Animorphs find it so bad, Jake vetoed any plan that relied on the team morphing a social insect. Their next attempt (bees), was only allowed because they promised the bee they would morph would be from the same hive that was in the mission area.

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* One episode of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Jumanji}}'' animated series featured a war between giant red ants and black ants started over an artifact called the "Bahoot", which turned out to be [[SillyReasonForWar a big ball of black and red slime that had no apparent purpose]].

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* ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'' had a strip titled, appropriately enough, ''Ant Wars'' which pitted giant ants against humans.

* The ''Army Ants'' comic has been converted into an RPG, basically GIJoe on a microscopic scale. The ants operate tanks and aircraft and carry guns, but the players are expected to basically use their own backyard as the world setting. A sandbox becomes a desert, a lawn becomes a jungle, and so on. It is possible to play an ant commando escorting workers to steal the Cheetos your players are eating.

* The indie comic (now webcomic) ''Army Ants'' is this, patterned loosely after GIJoe. The ants, with their allies the beetles, crickets and ladybugs, fight hordes of bees, hornets and wasps, not to mention fighting predators and going on special missions like stealing cinnamon (an insecticide) from a kitchen.

* Yes, ants really do have wars. But no tactics and strategy except [[ZergRush sheer numbers]], and whatever unique adaptations evolution granted to their species!

* ''BeeFense'' is a tower-defense/RTS game about a war between the protagonist bees against the Hornet Queen and her swarm, as well as assorted other bugs such rhino beetles, fleas, and [[IncrediblyLamePun zombees]].