We have demonstrated that mass European small litter ants (Myrmica, Lasius, Tetramorium) can be successful springtail hunters. They are also able to adapt themselves to this particular prey by developing specific hunting stereotypes ( see: Reznikova, Panteleeva, 2001). In order to observe a process of hunting we used glass containers filled with transparent straw of plastic bottles to simulate forest litter. They were dug into the soil nearby ants' nests with 30 alive springtails (Tomocerus subiricus) being placed in each container. The manner to catch a springtail in Myrmica is very much like that of a mouse and a fox (stereotyped fixed action pattern) - see: choice, look, rundown, hunting, cought, snap. We revealed good hunters and bad hunters amongst active Myrmica workers. Can bad hunters learn? Laboratory experiments with "naive" colonies of Myrmica rubra revealed a sophisticated way of maturation of springtail hunting. We compared behaviour of "naive" (lacking contacts with normal adults) ants with control specimens towards springtails in containers. It turned out that the complex behavioural pattern of springtail hunting in unspecialized ant species develops by a sophisticated scenario which includes both innate behaviour and elements of social learning. Compare hunting behaviour of a "wild" ant and naive one ( picture1, picture2, picture3, picture4). It has been shown that less than 10% of specimens demonstrate highly stereotyped fixed action pattern and thus are able to catch a jumping victim at the early age of imago. In other specimens maturation of species-typical hunting behaviour takes more than two months. The process of the multistage completion of the pattern is likely to include social learning, at least the simplest form of social learning such as social facilitation. Victims' population density thus plays a key role in shaping good hunters: The more frequent the carriers of the "springtail hunting pattern" encounter with potential victims the more likely specific behavioural sequence is released in observers. We currently study springtail hunting in solitary hunters which also dwell in soil and litter and are comparable with Myrmica ants by size and speed of movements. Studying sprigtail hunting in Staphylinidae beetles enables us to compare how social and solitary insects can improve hunting. There are also good (from Staphylin: picture1, picture4, picture5, picture6, picture8, picture9) and bad (from Staphylin: picture1, picture2, picture3, picture4, picture5) sprigtail hunters in beetles, but, in contrast to ants, beetles do not gain neither individual nor, of course, social experience, and bad hunters have to switch to another, easy-to-handle prey. .