The dragonfly is a highly effective predator, instantly recognizable by its iridescent wings and remarkable speed. Its adult life revolves around the pursuit and capture of prey while on the wing. This unique lifestyle raises questions about the scope of its diet, especially concerning common insects like ants.
Aerial Predators and Terrestrial Prey
Adult dragonflies are obligate aerial hunters, meaning they seek and capture food almost exclusively in the air. This fundamental fact provides the primary answer to whether they eat ants: they generally do not consume common, ground-dwelling worker ants. Dragonflies do not typically land to forage, making ground-based prey largely inaccessible.
An important exception occurs during the reproductive swarming of ants or termites. These events involve the release of winged reproductive males and females, known as alates, which take to the air for their nuptial flight. Dragonflies opportunistically aggregate in large numbers to feed on these swarming alates, which become a temporary, high-density source of aerial protein.
The Dragonfly Standard Diet
The typical dragonfly diet consists almost entirely of other flying arthropods. They are non-selective hunters that consume nearly any insect they can successfully capture in the air, ranging from small midges and gnats to larger species.
Mosquitoes and flies form a substantial part of their daily caloric intake, making dragonflies a natural form of biological pest control. They also frequently prey upon moths and butterflies. Larger species may even consume smaller dragonflies or damselflies, demonstrating a predatory hierarchy within their order, Odonata.
Specialized Hunting Techniques
The dragonfly’s diet is dictated by physical adaptations focused on aerial interception. Their massive, multifaceted compound eyes grant them nearly 360-degree vision and allow them to spot prey up to 40 feet away. This exceptional visual acuity is paired with a nervous system capable of rapidly processing visual data for precise flight maneuvers. The dragonfly is one of the fastest insects, with some species reaching speeds approaching 30 miles per hour.
Their legs are highly specialized and not designed for walking; instead, they are covered in stiff, inward-pointing spines. When a dragonfly spots prey, it rapidly reconfigures its six legs into a bristly, forward-facing “prey basket” or net. This net is used to scoop the insect from the air, securing the meal without breaking flight. Many dragonflies can begin consuming their catch while still in the air, a behavior known as in-flight feeding.