Formica subsericea tending Vanduzea arquata

Silky field ants tending black locust treehoppers for honeydew. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA.

A pair of Prenolepis imparis workers tend a scale insect for honeydew. Del Puerto Canyon, California, USA

Azteca velox workers tending to a Theope caterpillar. Isla Contadora, Panama

Azteca velox worker tending to a Theope caterpillar. Isla Contadora, Panama

Acropyga goeldii ants are so dependent on their mealybug associates that young queens must carry a bug with them on their dispersal flights to successfully start a new colony. Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

A nearly blind Acropyga goeldii worker ant tends to root-feeding mealybugs in an underground chamber. The ants depend on their hemipteran "cattle" for food, while the mealybugs are kept safe from predators and carried to new roots by their ant guards. Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Acropyga goeldii worker & alate queen. Workers are nearly blind, but queens have eyes to help navigate during their brief flight to start a new colony. Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

An Acropyga goeldii worker carries a mealybug. Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Acropyga acutiventris Iron Range National Park, Queensland, Australia

Mating Acropyga epedana ants, the queen carrying a mealybug in her mandibles. Acropyga live nearly entirely by consuming secretions of root-feeding mealybugs, and the mealybugs depend on the ants for dispersal and protection. When young queen ants leave the nest to mate and start new colonies, they take a mealybug with them. Portal, Arizona, USA

Crematogaster cerasi tending ivy aphids for honeydew. South Bristol, New York, USA

Ectatomma tuberculatum workers tend to a membracid nymph. Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Crematogaster carinata

A tropical acrobat ant approaches an aphid. Ants and aphids are often associated in a symbiotic relationship where the aphid provides excess honeydew to the ants in exchange for protection from predators. Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata, Peru.

Camponotus rosariensis ant tending scale insects for honeydew. Notice that the younger scale insects have legs. These first instar scale are more mobile than the older instars, which settle down once they find a good spot for feeding. Frías, Santiago de Estero, Argentina

Formica aerata

Formica aerata, the California grey field ant, tending aphids on a willow branch. Hallelujah Junction, California, USA

Camponotus rufipes

Camponotus rufipes worker ants tending treehopper nymphs for honeydew. Carrancas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Camponotus rufipes worker ants tending treehopper nymphs for honeydew. Carrancas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

A Camponotus rufipes worker tends treehopper nymphs for honeydew. Carrancas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Mixed in among these turtle ants (Cephalotes atratus) are several honeydew-producing treehoppers. They are difficult to see, however, as their color, size, and texture closely match that of their ant associates. Presumably, this clever camouflage provides a measure of protection from predators. Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

The adult form of this treehopper (bottom left) mimics the abdomen of the Cephalotes atratus ants that tend it for honeydew. Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

The adult form of this treehopper (bottom left) mimics the abdomen of the Cephalotes atratus ants that tend it for honeydew. Morretes, Paraná, Brazil

Entylia carinata with Crematogaster laeviuscula

An acrobat ant gathers honeydew from a sunflower-feeding treehopper. Austin, Texas, USA.

Attaphila fungicola & Atta texana

Ant cockroaches hitch a ride aboard virgin queens as they depart on mating flights. Austin, Texas, USA.

Attaphila fungicola

An ant cockroach in the fungus garden of its leafcutter ant host. Laboratory animal at the University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA.