Ant Herding of Aphids (May 7)
Did you know that one species of ants herds aphids? These dairy ants protect aphids in order to “milk” them for food. A common type of dairy ant is the cornfield ant. Before winter arrives, these ants collect corn-root aphid eggs and store them in their tunnels. In the spring, these aphid eggs hatch, and the ants herd the young aphids to the roots of young wild plants while they wait for the field’s corn seeds to germinate. Once the corn germinates, the ants herd the aphids to the corn roots, so the aphids can feed on them. If the weather is bad, the ants carry the aphids underground for protection. When an ant wants a drink, she will stroke the aphid with her antennae causing a sweet liquid called honeydew to be secreted from the aphid. The ant is “milking” the aphid. The aphids benefit by being protected by the ants, and the ants benefit by receiving honeydew from the aphids. Both ant and aphid benefit from this relationship; this is called symbiosis. How did this relationship come about? They needed each other to survive. God’s fingerprints are even over the tiniest creatures of His creation.
Psalm 48:1
NIV: Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
Reference
The Privileged Planet, Illustra Media, DVD