Doodlebugs dig cone-shaped holes into the soft soil or sand and lay in the bottom. When an ant at the surface gets too near the edge, it slips into the hole and slides down to the waiting jaws of the Antlion larva. The Antlion larva will grab the ant and use part of its mouth parts to inject an enzyme that allows the internal body parts to be easily sucked out of the ant. Its appetite for ants and the manner in which it hunts them led to the insect's name.
Once the larvae mature, an adult Antlion more closely resembles a damselfly or dragonfly than its larval Doodlebug form. Adult Antlions, in contrast to dragonflies, have short antennae, are weak fliers and are nocturnal. They may eat nectar and pollen. Adults can be found at night in tall grasses in open habitats. Their larvae can be found in open fields of sandy soil, at the base of trees, on the dusty floors of barns or sheds or under rock ledges. Both life stages are most active in spring and summer.
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