TrapJaw Labs
We are a group of myrmecologists, designers, and educators united by a single obsession: understanding and preserving the world of ants.
Founder & CEO — M.S. Entomology (2024), University of Florida / NSF Graduate Research Fellow. B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies: Environmental Science, Political Science, Science Communication & Minor in Entomology (2020), Montana State University.
Miles Maxcer is an entomologist, science communicator, and exhibit designer. At TrapJaw, Miles designs and fabricates museum and zoo exhibits, develops industry-leading consumer products, and produces arthropod-focused media. His work has included collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic, the Audubon Insectarium, BBC World News, the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the World Wildlife Fund.
Miles’ graduate research at the University of Florida examined interactions between invasive twig ants and native Lepidoptera while advancing ant-rearing methods, community science initiatives, and federal biosecurity policy. A few years after a harrowing incident with stinging ants while in grade school, he became fascinated with the complex world of myrmecology, made accessible to him through ant-keeping. He became an integral part of online communities in North America and in Europe, and in high school, he helped NASA source ants for research aboard the International Space Station. In 2017, Miles was named Apprentice Ecologist of the Year for founding The Ant Network — an internationally recognized ant-keeping education platform that reached more than 750,000 viewers and won Montana's largest business pitch competition. The Ant Network has since evolved into TrapJaw.
Miles is a man of the Intermountain West, but his passion for ants has taken his work to the global stage: from the high desert canyons of the American southwest to dry forests in Madagascar, tropical rainforests in Costa Rica and to the halls of power in Washington, D.C. Miles is passionate about bridging gaps between hobbyists, scientists, and policymakers to unleash the potential of ant-keeping to deepen humanity’s connection to, appreciation for, and understanding of the natural world.
Favorite species: Daceton armigerum
Director of Live Collections & Partner
Nolan Webb is an entomologist and longtime ant-keeper. As Director of Live Collections, he manages the health, husbandry, and ethical sourcing the ants in our facilities — from collecting founding queens to preparing colonies for new keepers. He's also the first team member that most customers interact with. He guides new keepers through species selection, setup, and the inevitable "is this normal?" questions that come with experiencing ant-keeping for the first time.
Nolan has cared for hundreds of species over a decade of ant-keeping experience. His work has included collection, care, and research of Solenopsis spp. with the USDA’s Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology’s fire ant lab. More recently, he served as the laboratory manager and caretaker for the Yan Lab at the University of Florida, where he overhauled the rearing strategy for dozens of research-critical Harpegnathos jumping ant colonies.
Nolan founded a Florida-based ant-keeping community, and enjoys developing relationships with local keepers, coordinating meet-ups and ensuring that everyone has an accessible opportunity to keep ants.
Nolan has cared for hundreds of species, earning over a decade of ant-keeping experience. His work has included collection, care, and research of Solenopsis spp. with the USDA’s Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology’s fire ant lab, and more recently, he served as the laboratory manager and caretaker for the Yan Lab at the University of Florida. At UF, he overhauled the rearing strategy for dozens of research-critical Harpegnathos jumping ant colonies. From improving rearing strategies for unique ants to identifying parameters for predicting nuptial flights, Nolan specializes on solving difficult problems in the ant-keeping space.
Nolan founded a Florida-based ant-keeping community, and enjoys developing relationships with local keepers, coordinating meet-ups and ensuring that ant-keeping is accessible to everyone.
Favorite species: Trachymyrmex septentrionalis
Media Production Consultant — M.S. Forest Resources & Conservation (2024), University of Florida | B.A. History (2021), Montana State University
Favorite species: Aphaenogaster swammerdami
Social Insect Biologist & Visual Artist — PhD Candidate - Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California - Irvine. M.S. EEB (2025), UCI. B.S. Ecology, Evolution, Behavior (2019), University of Texas - Austin,
Favorite species: Cephalotes texanus
Questions for the team? Visit our contact page, or browse the TrapJaw Labs shop.