Besides being group predators, members of an Eciton burchellii colony cycle between nomadic and stationary (or "statary") phases.
During the twenty-day stationary phase, the pupae and newly laid eggs develop, and the colony goes on raids about every other day.
During the fifteen-day nomadic phase, initiated after the eggs hatch and the pupae eclose, the colony goes on raids once every day.
Each raid requires approximately one third of the colony, employing up to 200,000 members.
The raids can be up to 20 meters in width and 200 meters in length.
The raids never occupy the same area twice, so the trail to each new location is always changing.
Eciton burchellii colonies avoid locations where they and other colonies have already foraged.
This way, they ensure that there are available resources in their foraging area and they avoid any aggressive conspecific encounters.
The inbound ants on the trail deliver prey that was captured by the outbound swarming ants.

Eciton burchellii raids move as a loose swarm over the leaf litter.
This allows for smaller prey to take shelter in the crevices of the leaf litter to hide from the oncoming ants.
Since numerous insects and other small prey can escape the swarm, the frequent raids of the ants do not desecrate an area's prey reserves.
This chronic predation by the colonies will evolutionarily favor insects and other prey that possess adaptions to counteract the ants, such as chemical weaponry for defense or those that sexually mature at a smaller size.
Since the larger Eciton burchellii ants require more prey for energy than other smaller ant colonies, only high biomass patches of prey will provide them with enough food.
If the prey density in an area is too small, the colony may be forced to abandon the area and move on.

During their raids, Eciton burchellii have also been known to predate wasp nests of species such as Polistes erythrocephalus.
These attacks often involve the destruction of the wasp nest as Eciton burchellii consume the larva and pupa.
Eciton burchellii are also known to prey on wasp species like Brachygastra scutellaris – they are the most severe predators of the wasp and their raids have the most devastating of results.
B. scutellaris' only mode of defense from these Eciton raids is attempting to find more elusive nesting locations.

Eciton burchellii ant colonies use pheromones to maintain a straight foraging pathway.
The ants can detect the pheromones with their antennae and can tell the difference in concentration gradients of the pheromones as they move away from the center of the trail.
Also, individuals who are outbound, turn to avoid the inbound ants more frequently, giving the prey-burdened ants the right-of-way on the trail.

Members of the species have been observed to use their bodies to fill potholes in the pathway between the nest and prey.
By filling these obstacles, the ants greatly increase the overall prey-laden traffic back to the nest.
Each ant will walk to a hole and measure itself to see if it fits; if it does, it will lie across the hole motionless to allow other members of the colony to cross at a higher speed.
If it does not fit, it will continue past the hole and allow another ant to check.
Ants will also cooperate, with multiple ants forming a plug, if one ant is too small for the hole.
Once in place in a hole, the ant(s) can stay there for many hours or until it is dark and the traffic flow has diminished greatly, at which point they will return to the nest.
This behavior most likely formed among members of the Eciton burchelli species because of its evolutionary advantage.
An increase in trail speed and efficiency leads to a larger daily prey intake by the colony.
This raises the colony's collective fitness, allowing for faster reproduction.
Besides being group predators, members of an Eciton burchellii colony cycle between nomadic and stationary (or "statary") phases. During the twenty-day stationary phase, the pupae and newly laid eggs develop, and the colony goes on raids about every other day. During the fifteen-day nomadic phase, initiated after the eggs hatch and the pupae eclose, the colony goes on raids once every day. Each raid requires approximately one third of the colony, employing up to 200,000 members. The raids can be up to 20 meters in width and 200 meters in length. The raids never occupy the same area twice, so the trail to each new location is always changing. Eciton burchellii colonies avoid locations where they and other colonies have already foraged. This way, they ensure that there are available resources in their foraging area and they avoid any aggressive conspecific encounters. The inbound ants on the trail deliver prey that was captured by the outbound swarming ants.
Eciton burchellii raids move as a loose swarm over the leaf litter. This allows for smaller prey to take shelter in the crevices of the leaf litter to hide from the oncoming ants. Since numerous insects and other small prey can escape the swarm, the frequent raids of the ants do not desecrate an area's prey reserves. This chronic predation by the colonies will evolutionarily favor insects and other prey that possess adaptions to counteract the ants, such as chemical weaponry for defense or those that sexually mature at a smaller size. Since the larger Eciton burchellii ants require more prey for energy than other smaller ant colonies, only high biomass patches of prey will provide them with enough food. If the prey density in an area is too small, the colony may be forced to abandon the area and move on.
During their raids, Eciton burchellii have also been known to predate wasp nests of species such as Polistes erythrocephalus. These attacks often involve the destruction of the wasp nest as Eciton burchellii consume the larva and pupa. Eciton burchellii are also known to prey on wasp species like Brachygastra scutellaris – they are the most severe predators of the wasp and their raids have the most devastating of results. B. scutellaris' only mode of defense from these Eciton raids is attempting to find more elusive nesting locations.
Eciton burchellii ant colonies use pheromones to maintain a straight foraging pathway. The ants can detect the pheromones with their antennae and can tell the difference in concentration gradients of the pheromones as they move away from the center of the trail. Also, individuals who are outbound, turn to avoid the inbound ants more frequently, giving the prey-burdened ants the right-of-way on the trail.
Members of the species have been observed to use their bodies to fill potholes in the pathway between the nest and prey. By filling these obstacles, the ants greatly increase the overall prey-laden traffic back to the nest. Each ant will walk to a hole and measure itself to see if it fits; if it does, it will lie across the hole motionless to allow other members of the colony to cross at a higher speed. If it does not fit, it will continue past the hole and allow another ant to check. Ants will also cooperate, with multiple ants forming a plug, if one ant is too small for the hole. Once in place in a hole, the ant(s) can stay there for many hours or until it is dark and the traffic flow has diminished greatly, at which point they will return to the nest. This behavior most likely formed among members of the Eciton burchelli species because of its evolutionary advantage. An increase in trail speed and efficiency leads to a larger daily prey intake by the colony. This raises the colony's collective fitness, allowing for faster reproduction.
Eciton burchellii