1,000 Days of War: My Ant Colony's Epic Fight for Survival

Added: 2026-05-11

[00:00:00]This a queen ant, and she has the next thousand days to create an empire.

[00:00:04]But a rival colony is watching their every move.

[00:00:08]And [music] if she fails, they will wage a war, destroy her home, and take over mine.

[00:00:16]Everything depends on her.

[00:00:18]So, over the first few days, she creates a nest, and if we look underground, her first generation is underway.

[00:00:29]>> [music] >> But in the world above, they will have to face competition and rival colonies.

[00:00:37]Their journey has only just begun.

[00:00:40]She will never leave the safety of her nest, so she creates workers to serve and protect her.

[00:00:48]But the enemy has already arrived.

[00:00:51]A wild ant on the hunt for new territory.

[00:00:56]This wild colony lives on my window sill.

[00:01:03]>> [music] >> Oh my god, the workers act quickly. They are beginning to build a wall.

[00:01:12]They will stop at nothing to protect their queen.

[00:01:15]And pretty soon, their entrance is sealed.

[00:01:20]But war is coming. And if they want to survive, they will need an army. And for that, they need food. They specialize in collecting seeds. Their job is to transport them underground, where they store them in a bakery.

[00:01:35]>> [music] >> Here, they ground and crush the seeds into bread.

[00:01:40]Ant bread.

[00:01:43]>> [music] >> It is the perfect food for their growing larvae, and 70 days later, the results are clear.

[00:01:52]There was a population boom, all powered by their tiny bakery.

[00:02:00]But the new workers are weak and clumsy.

[00:02:08]They need sugars like honey.

[00:02:10]Yet the honey stayed untouched for days >> [music] >> until it was discovered by a wild ant.

[00:02:19]Thankfully, she's alone.

[00:02:24]Or so I thought. They launched an attack. This is nothing compared to the war.

[00:02:32]Yet the colony is overrun.

[00:02:34]But I tried to save as many of our ants as I could.

[00:02:48]But it was already too late.

[00:02:51]What?

[00:02:53]The damage had already been done.

[00:03:04]Most of the colony did not survive.

[00:03:07]And those that did are badly injured.

[00:03:12]But ants are one of the few animals that respect their dead.

[00:03:18]>> [music] >> So the remaining few built a graveyard.

[00:03:26]>> [music] >> It is almost unbelievable.

[00:03:36]They may have lost the battle, but will they win the war? The colony is weaker than ever, but they still need honey to survive.

[00:03:44]Last time, it caused a disaster.

[00:03:47]This time, they act with caution and begin to feed.

[00:03:52]You can even see their tongue as they drink up the honey.

[00:03:56]But then, something remarkable happens.

[00:04:08]Protecting the honey means protecting their queen.

[00:04:12]She is the only one in the nest who can lay eggs.

[00:04:16]If she dies, the rest of the colony is doomed.

[00:04:19]But with her survival, the colony thrives.

[00:04:25]>> [music] >> But it is time to put their defenses to the test. Here are 100 fruit flies. They are small, annoying, and a lot like my mother-in-law. They scatter. The ants begin to panic, while many of the flies stand still.

[00:04:56]But this one makes a run for it.

[00:04:58]And so does that one.

[00:05:00]And that one.

[00:05:02]And that one.

[00:05:04]But this one was not as lucky.

[00:05:06]He is the first kill of many.

[00:05:12]But the escaped flies were not as safe as they thought. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

[00:05:20]And overtake my animal room.

[00:05:22]My pets aren't a fan of their new roommate.

[00:05:26]>> [music]