Ant carrying aphid 15
Ants farming aphids. When a particular aphid is not producing enough honeydew, the ant will gently pick it up in its jaws and move it to another location. Despite it being a well observed behaviour that is well known in ants, it is actually not that common to see. In 8hrs of watching ants I saw it only 2-3 times. Usually the ants move quickly and they may not displace the aphids very far away. Getting shots is usually made more difficult by the foliage that has to be moved thus disturbing the ant causing it to drop the aphid.
Ant carrying aphid 15
Ants farming aphids. When a particular aphid is not producing enough honeydew, the ant will gently pick it up in its jaws and move it to another location. Despite it being a well observed behaviour that is well known in ants, it is actually not that common to see. In 8hrs of watching ants I saw it only 2-3 times. Usually the ants move quickly and they may not displace the aphids very far away. Getting shots is usually made more difficult by the foliage that has to be moved thus disturbing the ant causing it to drop the aphid.