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Some of the best-studied myrmecophilous interactions involve ants and hemipterans, especially aphids. Around 4000 species of aphids are described, and they are the most abundant myrmecophilous organisms in the northern temperate zones. [3] [5] Aphids feed on the phloem sap of plants, and as they feed, they excrete honeydew droplets from their ...
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids, some scale insects, and many other true bugs and some other insects as they feed on plant sap. When their mouthpart penetrates the phloem , the sugary, high-pressure liquid is forced out of the anus of the insects, allowing them to rapidly process the large volume of sap required to ...
This is a mutualistic relationship, with these dairying ants milking the aphids by stroking them with their antennae. [b] [68] Although mutualistic, the feeding behaviour of aphids is altered by ant attendance. Aphids attended by ants tend to increase the production of honeydew in smaller drops with a greater concentration of amino acids. [69]
Aphids are small, soft-bodied, ... The ants also protect them from predators. ... it will knock them off and disrupt their feeding cycle. Hand picking and squishing aphids is another means of control.
In some cases, it is believed that ants can achieve productivity levels similar to the early stages of human agriculture. Ants also domesticate numerous animal species, especially aphids and Lepidoptera. Discovered only in 2016, ant farming and agriculture with plants is a rapidly evolving field of discoveries.
Carpenter ants have been known to construct extensive underground tunneling systems. These systems often end at some food source – often aphid colonies, where the ants extract and feed on honeydew. These tunneling systems also often exist in trees.