If they're a few levels down inside the anthill, they can't see the sun anyway. It's warmer in the day, cooler at night, but other than that, do ants care what time it is?

What's going on inside your average anthill at 3 AM?

Sex?

The first rule of ant mound is, they don't talk about ant mound.

they care not,
now, magnifying glasses !
thats what gets their undies in a wadd

They come out at night......mostly

Cheers
Jaycat

When I was a kid in MO, I liked to observe the activities of brown ants that had an ant hill adjacent to our front sidewalk. I saw lots of activity during daylight hours, but none during evening or nighttime. They might've been active inside the ant hill though.

Don't know on ants, but their behavior seems to be similar to bees, and I think bees stay in for the night. I'm sure some bee guys will correct me if I'm wrong. I do know personally that yellow jackets, who burrow and live underground, stay in for the night. It's the best time to kill those suckers.

Curfew' a bitch in Ant city. Kidding aside. Depends upon the genus? Young colonies of many species must be very careful not to reveal their existence to other nearby colonies. That's why they sometimes forage at night, even if the species isn't mainly nocturnal. But the majority of ants are active during day, because they use sights for at least for navigation - and some good seeing ants like Formica, also for tracking prey.

Order your own and find out. Just do not break the container.
https://www.nature-gifts.com/1512-ant-farms-for-sale/

A strobe light on all night really confuses them.

Or it makes for some wild parties.

quote:

Originally posted by Jaycat:
They come out at night......mostly

Cheers
Jaycat

For the win.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
What's going on inside your average anthill at 3 AM?

Ant stuff (but you really don't want to go there) ...

Seriously, they are watching the movie Them over and over and dreaming big!

Ants never sleep!!

The ants seen at night are usually third shift ants. Their wages are 10% higher.

quote:

Originally posted by Bisleyblackhawk:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
What's going on inside your average anthill at 3 AM?

Ant stuff (but you really don't want to go there) ...

Seriously, they are watching the movie Them over and over and dreaming big!

Or The Naked Jungle, and trying to get all their friends together.

If the ants live near this guy then they are being crisped by molten aluminum.

www.anthillart.com

This time of year they mostly watch Aardvark Week on Discovery Channel. It's too hot for much else.

 
Here in AZ, they seem to form their browsing habits based on heat. The mounds are active early in the day and late in the evening. I don't know about night, never stayed up to watch them.
 

What happens in the mound, stays in the mound...