How do ants crawl on walls? A biologist explains their sticky, spiky, gravity-defying grip

How do ants crawl on walls? A biologist explains their sticky, spiky, gravity-defying grip: How do ants crawl on walls? – Ethan, age 9, Dallas, Texas When I first started my job as a biologist at the University of South Florida, I drove my Jeep to a grassy field, dug up a mound of fire ants and shoveled it into a 5-gallon bucket. Immediately, thousands of ants swarmed out of the soil and up the walls of the bucket headed for freedom. Luckily I had a lid.