Ants take on a role of either helping or farming aphids, I haven't
quite made up my mind which it is. They will protect the aphids and I
really think it's to fatten them up for the munch.
Got to be seen large!
UPDATE: Cool! From Wikepedia:
provide from Flickr Member Agrinberg
Aphids secrete a sweet liquid called honeydew which they exude in the
process of feeding from plants. The sugars can provide a high-energy
food source, which many ant species collect. In some cases the aphids
secrete the honeydew specifically in response to the ants tapping them
with their antennas. The ants in turn keep predators away and will
move the aphids around to better feeding locations. Upon migrating to
a new area, many colonies will take new aphids with them, to ensure
that they have a supply of honeydew in the new area.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ants
rose - content & visualFX, rjg329, Marlo Dela Rosa, minusbaby, and 2 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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NatureFreak07 45 months ago | reply
Very cool. Awesome macro. This ant-aphid is a wonderful example of symbiosis!
skassam 45 months ago | reply
Amazing shot!!
booledozer 42 months ago | reply
I uploaded this image here -- commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ant_guards_its_Aphids.jpg
Thanks!
LeeRoyDaRex [deleted] 38 months ago | reply
man not enough people comment on flickr
i thinks this is awesome ill have to find a way to make something similar
check out some of my stuff and comment as well thanks
also i might start a group just for cool stuff