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Tomasz Dziubinski - Photography | all galleries >> COLOR AND COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHY >> MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY >> Macro-Creatures > The Brown Ants and Aphids
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© 2009 Tomasz Dziubinski

The Brown Ants and Aphids

Warsaw, Poland

The Brown Ant, Hurtnica wstydliwa (Lasius brunneus) and Aphids, also known as plant lice.

Symbioses.
The Brown Ant and some other species of ants "farm" aphids, protecting them on the plants they eat, eating the honeydew that the aphids release from the terminations of their alimentary canals.
This is a "mutualistic relationship".

These "dairying ants" "milk" the aphids by stroking them with their antennae. Therefore, sometimes aphids are called "ant cows". Some farming ant species gather and store the aphid eggs in their nests over the winter. In the spring, the ants carry the newly-hatched aphids back to the plants. Some species of dairying ants (such as the European yellow meadow ant, Lasius flavus) manage large "herds" of aphids that feed on roots of plants in the ant colony. Queens that are leaving to start a new colony take an aphid egg to found a new herd of underground aphids in the new colony. These farming ants protect the aphids by fighting off aphid predators.

Nikon D3 ,Nikkor 105mm f/4 AI Micro ,+ Bellows-Nikkor 105 f/4

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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XiaoBernard9912-Aug-2009 14:37
Well cropped the both together the ant and its surrounding.Thanks for the Nature lesson.V
Matylda Lempel-Chareza Photography24-May-2009 21:46
do tego zestwu dodales chyba jeszcze soczewke?
Guest 24-Apr-2009 00:40
Beautiful and sharp image, vote
Nikon Mama - Birgitte Ott23-Apr-2009 23:21
Very fine macro - interesting and inspiring! Thank you for sharing information :) ~v~
Walter Otto Koenig23-Apr-2009 20:52
Excellent sharp macro. Fascinating information. Thank you. "V"
Matylda Lempel-Chareza Photography23-Apr-2009 20:22
rewelacha,v
an nguyen23-Apr-2009 19:54
What an amazing macro...
J. Scott Coile23-Apr-2009 18:27
Micro macro!
pr_rajan23-Apr-2009 17:02
...great!~V~
Paco López23-Apr-2009 16:04
Superb!!!!!!! V!!
Gerard Koehl23-Apr-2009 15:36
Wow... perfect. V
zyziza23-Apr-2009 15:34
Fine close-up! BV
Tom Cagle23-Apr-2009 13:48
Excellent capture, detail is amazing. V
Patricia Kay23-Apr-2009 10:51
Fantastic macro Tomasz....Thank you for the info about the ants and aphids...it was really interesting...BV
Guest 23-Apr-2009 10:39
indeed ! simply awesome :))) V~!
Faye White23-Apr-2009 09:34
awesome macro!