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Insects and Spiders · entry 48 of 52
Some ants farm aphids, protecting them in return for a sweet liquid they produce.
The longer version
Aphid tending resembles small-scale dairy farming. Aphids feed on sap, which is mostly water and sugar, so they strain huge volumes and excrete the surplus as a sweet liquid that ants drink directly, often stroking the aphid with antennae to encourage release.
In return ants drive away predators and may carry their charges to fresh shoots. Both sides pay something, yet each gains reliable food or cover. Some ants even shelter aphids inside their nests or guard eggs through winter, showing how far mutual dependence can go, to the cost of the plants being drained.
Where this entry sits
This collection gathers small wonders from the world of ants, bees, butterflies, beetles, and spiders. Expect surprising details about swarms, silk, and metamorphosis, plus the strange everyday abilities of creatures small enough to fit on a fingertip. The full list sits on the Insects and Spiders page, where every entry is listed in order.
More From Insects and Spiders
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Read 1Ants can carry loads many times heavier than their own body weight.
Read 2A single honeybee may visit hundreds of flowers during one foraging trip.
Read 3Butterflies taste with sensors on their feet rather than with a mouth.
Read 4A caterpillar sheds its skin several times before it becomes a chrysalis.
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