Ants and spiders live in close proximity in nature, but how much do they interact? Do Ants Eat Spiders, or is it the other way around?

The complex relationships between different spider and ant species run the full spectrum—from close mutually beneficial partnerships to vicious predator and prey conflicts.

Some ants do indeed regard certain spiders as tasty nutritious snacks for their massive colonies. Meanwhile, clever adaptation has allowed a variety of huntsman and web-spinning spiders to make easy meals out of unwary ants in their habitat.

In this article we’ll dive deep on:

• Aggressive ant species equipped to overpower some spiders
• Safer ant strategies focused on raiding vulnerable spider eggs
• Inventive spider methods for trapping and feeding on ants
• Opportunistic scavenging habits between ants and spiders

Read on to learn all about the multidimensional nature of potential interactions separating colonies of one of nature’s tiny overlords—the ant—from their spider neighbors.

Do Ants Eat Spiders?

There exist over 12,000 identified ant species thriving across almost every terrestrial environment and region globally. As generalist omnivores, most ants sustain massive colonies by gathering all manner of nutritious food. Ants blanket surrounding areas to forage on plants, fungi, seeds, living and dead insects, and more.

The powerful jaws, stings, numbers and cooperative organization of certain ant species also equip specialized hunting groups to take down small invertebrate prey—including some unlucky spiders.

Some Ant Species View Spiders as Ideal Prey

Lone spiders often prove no match for the following aggressive, ground-dwelling ant colonies on the march for flesh food:

• Weaver ants: Nesting in trees by sewing leaves together, weaver ants swarm any small prey items the workers encounter while foraging. These hostile ants overcome and dismantle sizable spiders to carry chunks back for feeding ant larvae.
• Army ants: Living in huge nomadic colonies, army ant raids see millions aggressively overwhelm just about any animal in their path by brute relentless force. The nonstop marching columns allow efficient transport of dismembered spider pieces back to temporary underground nest sites.
• Fire ants: Hailing from South America before introduction across the world as invasive pests, fire ants in areas like the southern United States actively threaten local spiders—including highly venomous black widows. Fire ant stings and injected alkaloid venom can easily paralyze and kill spiders.

However, mature spiders still pose threats to attacking worker ants with venomous and sometimes deadly bites. So certain clever ant species reduce the risks by focusing specialized raiding parties on vulnerable spider egg clutches and freshly hatched young.

Ants Mainly Target Spider Eggs and Young

By raiding spider nests and egg sacks, ants gain nutritious access to the next spider generation without confronting dangerously venomous adult spiders protecting their spiderlings. Certain prolific and destructive invasive species like fire ants specifically love invading undefended black widow nests brimming with easy helpless spiders meals in the form of offspring not yet ready to handle aggression.

This safer, focused egg raiding reinforces public mythos of ants and spiders as sworn enemies dedicated toward killing each other. In reality—outside specific aggressive exceptions like army and fire ants—direct conflict between mature free-living spiders and ants proves rare as each stick to their own domains.

When Spiders Eat Ants

Aggressive hunting ant species eating spiders and spider eggs still doesn’t grant ants total domination over arachnids. Evolution has allowed clever spiders to adapt a variety of unique predatory techniques optimized for capturing ants.

Web-Building Spiders Catch Wandering Ants

Many web-spinning spiders strategically construct intricate sticky silk traps ideal for passively catching wandering ants in areas they frequent while marching and foraging.

Giant orb weavers spin massive circular webs with interwoven anchor lines and sticky capture spirals purpose-built to stop flying and ground insects like ants making contact. Other web varieties including sheet webs, tangle webs and cobwebs all serve to passively adhere and restrain any ants accidentally blundering through.

Some web-building spiders even mimic ant colony pheromone scent trails to purposefully mislead and hijack the ants navigational communication. Colonies then mindlessly end up following the fake chemical paths right into sticky traps lying in wait around a corner.

Still other spiders take advantage of ants’ habitual worn pathways by situating trapdoor and funnel-like tubes lined with silk adhesive and conveniently placed along the ants’ trails.

Regardless of exact trap strategy, prey capture method boils down the same. The spider waits until the stuck struggling ant exhausts itself before moving in, binding the ant securely in more silk, injecting a paralytic venom, and hauling the fresh carcass back into the protected body of the web sanctuary.

Jumping Spiders Actively Hunt Ants

In contrast to trap setting, some spider groups like jumping spiders favor active hunting to chase down and pounce unwary ants. Their large front eyes give excellent vision and ability to closely track movement. This helps jumping spiders successfully ambush passing ants from hides or approach with stealth before rapidly pouncing within a fraction of a second.

To safely hunt in areas dense with extremely aggressive army ants and other venomous species without sustaining injury, one clever jumping spider genus known as Myrmarachne displays remarkable adaptations.

These ants mimick spiders closely resemble ants visually in patterns, colors and behaviors. The incredibly accurate ant disguise allows stealthily sneaking right into hostile ant colonies to pick out and capture individual ants too distracted by their work to notice an imposter.

By either building specialized traps or actively stalking, hunting spiders demonstrate remarkable evolutionary adaptations allowing access to the abundant nutrition flowing within ant colonies.

Scavenging Among Ants and Spiders

Beyond predation, spiders and ants also make use of each other as food sources after already dying through other causes. As omnivores unable to pass up nearby meat, spiders and ants provide ideal mutual scavenging opportunities.

Both Ants and Spiders Will Eat Dead Insects

Spiders spinning trap webs or ants patrolling territories readily take advantage of any small dead insects encountered. Carrion serves as precious nutrition for both species otherwise lacking options during periods of scarce prey availability.

Nests of web-building spiders like Latrodectus orb weavers often contain insect carcasses still tangled in silk—including ants. Live prey caught in webs sometimes die from dehydration, starvation or succumbing to venom before the occupying spider gets around to feeding. Regardless, the fresh carrion rarely goes to waste since spiders will feed on their own trapped leftovers once dead.

Ants also leverage their numbers for efficient transportation of heavier loads like dead arthropod bodies back to central colony nest locations.

Scout ants discovering carrion quickly summon assistance to carry the prize back for the queen ants and developing larvae to feed on. Insects caught in spider webs make for convenient high quality protein packages easy for ants to exploit.

Ants Invade Web-Building Spider Nests

Many web building spider species live solitary lives ending after producing an egg sac and offspring. Once females die either from old age, fighting, getting caught in their own webs or threats like wasps, opportunistic ants stand ready to take advantage.

Nearby ant colonies frequently invade the vacant spider nests containing nutritious spider egg cases and freshly shed exoskeletons. Ants dismantle the egg sacks and transport every last ant larvae food morsel back to nest nurseries—nothing goes wasted.

Some experts argue such nest raiding pressures web building spiders like Latrodectus to evolve adaptations encouraging dispersal and reproduction across wider ranges. Distributing successive generations with large buffer zones lowering odds of immediate nest detection by neighbor ants proves selectively advantageous.

Conclusion

The multidimensional relationships between ants and spiders prove far more complex than simply being pure enemies.

Around 12,000 ant species fill diverse ecological roles from passive mutualists to destructive invasive pests depending on environment and species. Some particularly aggressive varieties like army ants actively invade territories hunting adult spiders as meat.

Meanwhile, spider nest raiding demonstrates evolution favoring safer ant feeding strategies targeting vulnerable egg clutches and juveniles over confronting fully venomous grown spiders.

Yet clever adaptation has also allowed versatile spider groups to turn tables and feast on ants in opportunistic or active predatory ways.

Harmonious habitat overlap means both ants and spiders will scavenge each other’s remains whenever discovered. Ultimately habitat dictates whether neighboring ants and spiders ignore each other, compete as hunter versus hunted, or even cooperate toward mutual benefit. Their connections remain far more nuanced beyond a simple binary assumption of unconditional conflict.

So while aggressive army ants might terrorize spiders as invading predators, a nearby black widow in a dark corner of the basement may also be slyly feasting on ants one caught in its web by another. The relationships between ants and spiders prove continuously complex, multidimensional and dictated by local conditions.