A series of beautiful photos recorded a colony of thirsty ants in a Russian forest as they lapped on water droplets.

Photographer Irina Kozorog, 43, spent a month visiting the same site every day to observe the ants fill their thirst and demonstrate their incredible strength.

The ant enthusiast from Moscow, Russia, used a macro camera lens to snap close-up photos of the magnificent insects sipping from the liquid spheres while bathed in golden light.

Photographer Irina Kozorog, 43, spent a month visiting the same spot every day to watch the ants quench their thirst and show off their extraordinary strength

Irina described how her passion for photography was sparked ten years ago when her husband gifted her a camera for her birthday.

She said:  ‘Ants are absolutely incredible creatures who have very clear responsibilities.They know how to preserve food, and are able to preserve it much longer than humans.

‘The drops of liquid they appear to be holding in the pictures are usually a cocktail of apple juice, honey and water.

A close-up snap captures an ant sipping from a water droplet that has collected on a tiny shoot to quench its thirst

The mandibles of the ant can be seen as it sips a drop of water in the Russian forest during the summertime

A couple of ants drink from a water droplet. Irina said: ‘I made sure the water drips, the ants, the background, and the light all came together’

‘I visited the same location every day to shoot the ants. I made sure the water drips, ants, background, and lighting all worked together.

‘My macro camera lens is amazing. It enables you to view and photograph the smallest features, such as the mandibles, in order to inspect every portion of an ant.

One stunning image depicts the shadows of two ants sipping from a pool of water against a golden background.

One ant stretches into a pool of water with his hind legs on the bank to take a sip of water from the mesmerising pool

A stunning snap of an ant using its antennae to clasp onto a drop of water while using its mandibles to quench its thirst

Irina also photographed one agile ant stretching down from a ledge into a green pond of water to quench its thirst

Meanwhile another close-up snap captures an ant sipping from a water droplet that has collected on a tiny shoot.

Irina also photographed one agile ant stretching down from a ledge into a green pond of water to quench its thirst.

Speaking about her passion for photography, Irina said: ‘My husband gave me a camera for my birthday. I looked around and saw ants on a stump and just decided to start taking pictures of them.

A pair of ants mirror each other beautifully as they suck up the water in the forest while their body is covered in droplets

A pair of ants search for water in the Russian forest against a stunning orange backdrop in the summertime

One ant sucks water from the droplet which has collected on a branch. Irina said her passion for photography was sparked when she was gifted a camera from her husband ten years ago

Irina said: ‘The drops of liquid they appear to be holding in the pictures are usually a cocktail of apple juice, honey and water’

A beautiful shot sees an ant sucking up water from a pool while attempting to cling onto the bank using its hind legs for stability

A beautiful close-up shot sees an ants using its mandibles to suck from a water droplet. Irina said she became ‘immersed’ in the world of ants