Ants of the Southwest Class 2018

It’s time again to start thinking which ant classes you’re going to take this summer.

The American Museum of Natural History’s Ants of the Southwest Class is being held August 12 through 21, 2018 at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona.

You might envision that Arizona is just a bunch of inhospitable cacti, but that’s actually not the case. There’s a diversity of plants in the area around Portal.

Plus, the cacti that do grow there have extrafloral nectaries, which make them attractive to ants.

It is also a fantastic place to study many different kinds of ants. We have honeypot ants, army ants, leafcutter ants, bigheaded ants, and harvester ants, to name just a few. It’s an awesome area for anyone interested in biology to explore.

What does the course cover? Among other things, students will be given the opportunity to study behavior and communication in ants, learn how to keep ant colonies in the laboratory, make an ant reference collection, and learn some photography techniques.

Cost: Tuition is still $1206 (includes room and board).

If you are interested, you will need to fill out the application form at the course website by July 1, 2018. You will be notified if you are accepted, at which time you’ll need to pay the fees.

Note:  We also posted information about another ant class, the California Academy of Sciences Ant Course.

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