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How do ants interact with aphids and scale insects that produce honeydew?
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Hymenoptera
An endangered rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) browsing on a wild bergamot flower.
Ants interact with honeydew-producing insects, such as aphids and scale insects, through a mutualistic relationship often described as "herding" or "ranching."123
Because honeydew is a sugary, energy-rich waste product excreted by these sap-sucking insects, ants actively seek it out as a food source. To ensure a consistent supply, ants provide several services to their "herds":142
- Protection: Ants guard aphids and scale insects against natural enemies, such as ladybugs and spiders.25
- Maintenance: Ants may move the insects from wilted or infested plants to healthy ones to ensure their survival and continued honeydew production.45
- Overwintering: Some species, such as the cornfield ant, collect aphid eggs in the autumn, store them in their nests throughout the winter, and transport the young to suitable host plant roots in the spring.45
- Harvesting: Ants obtain the honeydew by gently stroking or "milking" the insects with their antennae, which stimulates the release of the liquid.435
In some cases, such as with honey ants, specialized workers store this collected honeydew in their distended abdomens to sustain the colony during periods of food scarcity.163