Matt Cole1
Ant 'milking' aphids
Ants gently stroke aphids to encourage them to produce honeydew which the ants then eat. In return the ants protect the aphids from predators.
The challenge when taking these shots was to actually get a globule of honeydew in the shot but this was very difficult because the aphids produce it unpredictably and the ants consume it almost instantly. There are 2 shots in this series in which the honeydew is visible.
Ant 'milking' aphids
Ants gently stroke aphids to encourage them to produce honeydew which the ants then eat. In return the ants protect the aphids from predators.
The challenge when taking these shots was to actually get a globule of honeydew in the shot but this was very difficult because the aphids produce it unpredictably and the ants consume it almost instantly. There are 2 shots in this series in which the honeydew is visible.