A tiny ant cockroach, Attaphila fungicola, hitches a ride aboard a winged queen. Austin, Texas, USA.
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
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
