diff --git a/wled00/FX.cpp b/wled00/FX.cpp
index 036e97a75c..ff8bc9054d 100644
--- a/wled00/FX.cpp
+++ b/wled00/FX.cpp
@@ -3158,6 +3158,194 @@ static uint16_t rolling_balls(void) {
 static const char _data_FX_MODE_ROLLINGBALLS[] PROGMEM = "Rolling Balls@!,# of balls,,,,Collide,Overlay,Trails;!,!,!;!;1;m12=1"; //bar
 #endif // WLED_PS_DONT_REPLACE_FX
 
+
+/*
+/  Ants (created by making modifications to the Rolling Balls code) - Bob Loeffler 2025
+*   First slider is for the ants' speed.
+*   Second slider is for the # of ants.
+*   Third slider is for the Ants' size.
+*   Fourth slider (custom2) is for blurring the LEDs in the segment.
+*   Checkbox1 is for Gathering food (enabled if you want the ants to gather food, disabled if they are just walking).
+*     We will switch directions when they get to the beginning or end of the segment when gathering food.
+*     When gathering food, the Pass By option will automatically be enabled so they can drop off their food easier (and look for more food).
+*   Checkbox2 is for Overlay mode (enabled is Overlay, disabled is no overlay)
+*   Checkbox3 is for whether the ants will bump into each other (disabled) or just pass by each other (enabled)
+*/
+// Ant structure representing each ant's state
+struct Ant {
+  unsigned long lastBumpUpdate;  // the last time the ant bumped into another ant
+  bool hasFood;
+  float velocity;
+  float position;  // (0.0 to 1.0 range)
+};
+
+constexpr unsigned MAX_ANTS = 32;
+constexpr float MIN_COLLISION_TIME_MS = 2.0f;
+constexpr float VELOCITY_MIN = 2.0f;
+constexpr float VELOCITY_MAX = 10.0f;
+
+// Helper function to get food pixel color based on ant and background colors
+static uint32_t getFoodColor(uint32_t antColor, uint32_t backgroundColor) {
+  if (antColor == WHITE)
+    return (backgroundColor == YELLOW) ? GRAY : YELLOW;
+  return (backgroundColor == WHITE) ? YELLOW : WHITE;
+}
+
+// Helper function to handle ant boundary wrapping or bouncing
+static void handleBoundary(Ant& ant, float& position, bool gatherFood, bool atStart, unsigned long currentTime) {
+  if (gatherFood) {
+    // Bounce mode: reverse direction and update food status
+    position = atStart ? 0.0f : 1.0f;
+    ant.velocity = -ant.velocity;
+    ant.lastBumpUpdate = currentTime;
+    ant.position = position;
+    ant.hasFood = atStart;  // Has food when leaving start, drops it at end
+  } else {
+    // Wrap mode: teleport to opposite end
+    position = atStart ? 1.0f : 0.0f;
+    ant.lastBumpUpdate = currentTime;
+    ant.position = position;
+  }
+}
+
+// Helper function to calculate ant color
+static uint32_t getAntColor(int antIndex, int numAnts, bool usePalette) {
+  if (usePalette)
+    return SEGMENT.color_from_palette(antIndex * 255 / numAnts, false, PALETTE_SOLID_WRAP, 255);
+  // Alternate between two colors for default palette
+  return (antIndex % 3 == 1) ? SEGCOLOR(0) : SEGCOLOR(2);
+}
+
+// Helper function to render a single ant pixel with food handling
+static void renderAntPixel(int pixelIndex, int pixelOffset, int antSize, const Ant& ant, uint32_t antColor, uint32_t backgroundColor, bool gatherFood) {
+  bool isMovingBackward = (ant.velocity < 0);
+  bool isFoodPixel = gatherFood && ant.hasFood && ((isMovingBackward && pixelOffset == 0) || (!isMovingBackward && pixelOffset == antSize - 1));
+  if (isFoodPixel) {
+    SEGMENT.setPixelColor(pixelIndex, getFoodColor(antColor, backgroundColor));
+  } else {
+    SEGMENT.setPixelColor(pixelIndex, antColor);
+  }
+}
+
+static uint16_t mode_ants(void) {
+  if (SEGLEN <= 1) return mode_static();
+
+  // Allocate memory for ant data
+  uint32_t backgroundColor = SEGCOLOR(1);
+  unsigned dataSize = sizeof(Ant) * MAX_ANTS;
+  if (!SEGENV.allocateData(dataSize)) return mode_static();  // Allocation failed
+
+  Ant* ants = reinterpret_cast<Ant*>(SEGENV.data);
+
+  // Extract configuration from segment settings
+  unsigned numAnts = min(1 + (SEGLEN * SEGMENT.intensity >> 12), MAX_ANTS);
+  bool gatherFood = SEGMENT.check1;
+  bool overlayMode = SEGMENT.check2;
+  bool passBy = SEGMENT.check3 || gatherFood;  // global no‑collision when gathering food is enabled
+  unsigned antSize = map(SEGMENT.custom1, 0, 255, 1, 20) + (gatherFood ? 1 : 0);
+
+  // Initialize ants on first call
+  if (SEGENV.call == 0) {
+    int confusedAntIndex = hw_random(0, numAnts);   // the first random ant to go backwards
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < MAX_ANTS; i++) {
+      ants[i].lastBumpUpdate = strip.now;
+
+      // Random velocity
+      float velocity = VELOCITY_MIN + (VELOCITY_MAX - VELOCITY_MIN) * hw_random16(1000, 5000) / 5000.0f;
+      // One random ant moves in opposite direction
+      ants[i].velocity = (i == confusedAntIndex) ? -velocity : velocity;
+      // Random starting position (0.0 to 1.0)
+      ants[i].position = hw_random16(0, 10000) / 10000.0f;
+      // Ants don't have food yet
+      ants[i].hasFood = false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Calculate time conversion factor based on speed slider
+  float timeConversionFactor = float(scale8(8, 255 - SEGMENT.speed) + 1) * 20000.0f;
+
+  // Clear background if not in overlay mode
+  if (!overlayMode) SEGMENT.fill(backgroundColor);
+
+  // Update and render each ant
+  for (int i = 0; i < numAnts; i++) {
+    float timeSinceLastUpdate = float(strip.now - ants[i].lastBumpUpdate) / timeConversionFactor;
+    float newPosition = ants[i].position + ants[i].velocity * timeSinceLastUpdate;
+
+    // Reset ants that wandered too far off-track (e.g., after intensity change)
+    if (newPosition < -0.5f || newPosition > 1.5f) {
+      newPosition = ants[i].position = hw_random16(0, 10000) / 10000.0f;
+      ants[i].lastBumpUpdate = strip.now;
+    }
+
+    // Handle boundary conditions (bounce or wrap)
+    if (newPosition <= 0.0f && ants[i].velocity < 0.0f) {
+      handleBoundary(ants[i], newPosition, gatherFood, true, strip.now);
+    } else if (newPosition >= 1.0f && ants[i].velocity > 0.0f) {
+      handleBoundary(ants[i], newPosition, gatherFood, false, strip.now);
+    }
+
+    // Handle collisions between ants (if not passing by)
+    if (!passBy) {
+      for (int j = i + 1; j < numAnts; j++) {
+        if (fabsf(ants[j].velocity - ants[i].velocity) < 0.001f) continue;  // Moving in same direction at same speed; avoids tiny denominators
+
+        // Calculate collision time using physics
+        float timeOffset = float(ants[j].lastBumpUpdate - ants[i].lastBumpUpdate);
+        float collisionTime = (timeConversionFactor * (ants[i].position - ants[j].position) + ants[i].velocity * timeOffset) / (ants[j].velocity - ants[i].velocity);
+
+        // Check if collision occurred in valid time window
+        float timeSinceJ = float(strip.now - ants[j].lastBumpUpdate);
+        if (collisionTime > MIN_COLLISION_TIME_MS && collisionTime < timeSinceJ) {
+          // Update positions to collision point
+          float adjustedTime = (collisionTime + float(ants[j].lastBumpUpdate - ants[i].lastBumpUpdate)) / timeConversionFactor;
+          ants[i].position += ants[i].velocity * adjustedTime;
+          ants[j].position = ants[i].position;
+
+          // Update collision time
+          unsigned long collisionMoment = static_cast<unsigned long>(collisionTime + 0.5f) + ants[j].lastBumpUpdate;
+          ants[i].lastBumpUpdate = collisionMoment;
+          ants[j].lastBumpUpdate = collisionMoment;
+
+          // Reverse the ant with greater speed magnitude
+          if (fabsf(ants[i].velocity) > fabsf(ants[j].velocity)) {
+            ants[i].velocity = -ants[i].velocity;
+          } else {
+            ants[j].velocity = -ants[j].velocity;
+          }
+
+          // Recalculate position after collision
+          newPosition = ants[i].position + ants[i].velocity * (strip.now - ants[i].lastBumpUpdate) / timeConversionFactor;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Clamp position to valid range
+    newPosition = constrain(newPosition, 0.0f, 1.0f);
+    unsigned pixelPosition = roundf(newPosition * (SEGLEN - 1));
+
+    // Determine ant color
+    uint32_t antColor = getAntColor(i, numAnts, SEGMENT.palette != 0);
+
+    // Render ant pixels
+    for (int pixelOffset = 0; pixelOffset < antSize; pixelOffset++) {
+      unsigned currentPixel = pixelPosition + pixelOffset;
+      if (currentPixel >= SEGLEN) break;
+      renderAntPixel(currentPixel, pixelOffset, antSize, ants[i], antColor, backgroundColor, gatherFood);
+    }
+
+    // Update ant state
+    ants[i].lastBumpUpdate = strip.now;
+    ants[i].position = newPosition;
+  }
+
+  SEGMENT.blur(SEGMENT.custom2>>1);
+  return FRAMETIME;
+}
+static const char _data_FX_MODE_ANTS[] PROGMEM = "Ants@Ant speed,# of ants,Ant size,Blur,,Gathering food,Overlay,Pass by;!,!,!;!;1;sx=192,ix=255,c1=32,c2=0,o1=1,o3=1";
+
+
 /*
 * Sinelon stolen from FASTLED examples
 */
@@ -10907,6 +11095,7 @@ void WS2812FX::setupEffectData() {
   addEffect(FX_MODE_BLENDS, &mode_blends, _data_FX_MODE_BLENDS);
   addEffect(FX_MODE_TV_SIMULATOR, &mode_tv_simulator, _data_FX_MODE_TV_SIMULATOR);
   addEffect(FX_MODE_DYNAMIC_SMOOTH, &mode_dynamic_smooth, _data_FX_MODE_DYNAMIC_SMOOTH);
+  addEffect(FX_MODE_ANTS, &mode_ants, _data_FX_MODE_ANTS);
 
   // --- 1D audio effects ---
   addEffect(FX_MODE_PIXELS, &mode_pixels, _data_FX_MODE_PIXELS);
diff --git a/wled00/FX.h b/wled00/FX.h
index 250df2646d..f5c754f634 100644
--- a/wled00/FX.h
+++ b/wled00/FX.h
@@ -378,7 +378,8 @@ extern byte realtimeMode;           // used in getMappedPixelIndex()
 #define FX_MODE_PS1DSONICBOOM          215
 #define FX_MODE_PS1DSPRINGY            216
 #define FX_MODE_PARTICLEGALAXY         217
-#define MODE_COUNT                     218
+#define FX_MODE_ANTS                   218
+#define MODE_COUNT                     219
 
 
 #define BLEND_STYLE_FADE            0x00  // universal