An ant-garden Azteca stands her ground against an intrusive photographer. Armenia, Cayo District, Belize.
The structure of an Azteca ant garden is provided by carton, a pulp of vegetative debris built by the ants. Barton Creek, Cayo District, Belize.
Azteca colonies typically produce a steady stream of winged queens throughout the season, essentially saturating the environment with propagules to colonize any unclaimed territory in the forest canopy. This queen came to a light trap in Armenia, Cayo District, Belize. Thanks to Jack Longino for the species ID.
