All night the herd had been grouped. Pastors are not separated from cattle at any time, as if sensing that a crowd was waiting for predators to catch any neglect of the helpless animals. Although any of us could think of a herd of cows or sheep in the care of a pastor, in reality it was a small group of aphids that were fiercely guarded by a small number of ants (Formica pratensis ) not hesitate to attack anyone who approached.
ants always seemed some amazing creatures, when I was little I spent my idle hours watching them work and move from side to side, along dirt roads that left the nest in all directions. But of all known species of ants, the larger, stronger, and in short, the heads of all the tribes of ants, red ants were (both as F. rufa F. pratensis .) Fire ants were out hunting and capable of catching insects huge compared to them, killed and butchered and then wore each of the pieces to the nest. Never went home to eat sugar and cooked foods, as did the black ants. The jackets and fire ants were not satisfied with our waste. And last but not least if you came to the hill you are climbing the legs, I threw a bit and you liquidillo (which years later I was formic acid) that itched and smelled funny.
Shepherding the flock
But besides great jackets, fire ants, like other species of ants, herds of cattle were milked for an extra intake of sugars. They were like the Masai, hunters and shepherds. Ants establish a mutualistic relationship with aphids ( Aphidae ) in which both will benefit: the ants protect the aphids of predators such as ladybugs and lacewings, and in return they give their protective excess sap from plants they parasitize.
Ant soldier defending the herd of aphids
The herds were monitored and protected by soldiers, some ants in a similar way to other ants in the nest but bigger, with more heads wider and more developed with tweezers. Within the society of ants there are several breeds that have different roles for the community. On one hand, reproductive castes are formed by kings and queens who are those responsible for producing eggs and fertilize them, and moreover are occupational castes which are divided according to their tasks in workers and soldiers and among the workers there are some who care for the eggs and larvae, others who are responsible for cleaning and caring for other livestock.
Ant working "order" after stimulating an aphid with its antennae
Aphids suck sap from plants on which they settle and stimulate ants with their antennae to release the surplus of molasses and then consumed. But that's overwhelming sap that the aphids are not for personal use, as only a part digested by them, most are divided among the rest of the colony.
Obrera "talking" with a soldier
When a worker who has just milking an aphid is another member of their colony, the first thing they do is rub their antennae to communicate . If the soldier is hungry regurgitate part of the working fluid for feeding.
Workers feeding a soldier
From that time established a chain of favors and individuals with other ants are more hungry they will transfer part of food that are in the stomach.
ants work not only to clean up and monitor the herd. If for some reason the food plant withers or dies, the workers they'll take lightly the aphids from their claws and take them to another plant next to continue feeding.
Nature once again shows us once again that our species is not very original, even small insects than 1 cm in length and were farmers many millions of years before the first human being put in place.
NOTE: Just click on photos to enlarge
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