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Ten centimeters below ground, Pheidole ants tend ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) for honeydew. Ground pearls are sap-feeding insects that exude excess sugar attractive to ants, while the ants help transport the young insects to new plants. Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Ten centimeters below the soil surface, Pheidole ants tend ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) for honeydew. Ground pearls are sap-feeding insects that exude excess sugar attractive to ants, while the ants help transport the young insects to new plants. Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Linepithema micans astride a ground pearl. The "pearl" is actually a honeydew-producing scale insect that feeds on the sap of roots. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Ants and scale insects are often tight ecological associates, even under the soil. Here, a first instar ground pearl (Eurhizococcus brasiliensis) is carried by a Linepithema micans worker. The ground pearls produce honeydew that feeds the ants, while the ants protect the pearls and carry their young to new host plants. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Ground pearls are the large, sedentary adult forms of root-sap feeding insects. Here, two Eurhizococcus brasiliensis hang suspended from grape roots deep underground while a Linepithema micans ant gathers the honeydew exuded by the pearls. These insects are significant pests in Brazilian vineyards. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Ground pearls are the large, sedentary adult forms of root-sap feeding insects. Here, two Eurhizococcus brasiliensis hang suspended from grape roots deep underground while a Linepithema micans ant gathers the honeydew exuded by the pearls. These insects are significant pests in Brazilian vineyards. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
First and second instar ground pearls, Eurhizococcus, on a cassava tuber. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Linepithema micans astride a ground pearl. The "pearl" is actually a honeydew-producing scale insect that feeds on the sap of roots. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Ants and scale insects are often tight ecological associates, even under the soil. Here, a first instar ground pearl (Eurhizococcus brasiliensis) is carried by a Linepithema micans worker. The ground pearls produce honeydew that feeds the ants, while the ants protect the pearls and carry their young to new host plants. Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Ten centimeters below ground, Pheidole ants tend ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) for honeydew. Ground pearls are sap-feeding insects that exude excess sugar attractive to ants, while the ants help transport the young insects to new plants.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Ten centimeters below ground, Pheidole ants tend ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) for honeydew. Ground pearls are sap-feeding insects that exude excess sugar attractive to ants, while the ants help transport the young insects to new plants. Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
Ten centimeters below ground, Pheidole ants tend ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) for honeydew. Ground pearls are sap-feeding insects that exude excess sugar attractive to ants, while the ants help transport the young insects to new plants.

Icononzo, Tolima, Colombia
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all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013