Husbandry in the Insect World: How Ants Farm and Tend Other Bugs

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaIndoor plantsPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

Husbandry in Ants

Husbandry is the practice by many ants to farm, care for, tend to, and otherwise raise other insects like humans do with livestock.  It's a really amazing product of evolution !

They also perform a rudimentary farming by collecting fungi for food which they feed little bits of leaves !

Leaf cutter ant on its way to feed its garden fungus!

We know them only too well ! - most of Plant Specialists Garden Care and Plant Health care team know – where you see ants in a garden look out for other insects like aphids and mealy bugs that might be feeding on the plants.

Ants tending over an aphid colony.

One of the most common behavior is the herding or farming of sap feeding insects (homopterans) such as aphids, scale, and mealy bugs. These drink large quantities of sap to extract some sugars and proteins then excrete the rest as “ honeydew” a sugar liquid. In return for collecting the honeydew, the ants tenderly look after and protect them from predators.

Ant collecting a drop of honeydew.

By stroking the back of some aphids with their antennae, the ants can induce a honeydew droplet. When too crowded they will move the babies to other parts of plant with better sap or to another plant altogether.  Even when it rains they care for them by moving them into a sheltered place - sometimes their own nests.

The ugly side

Although this process seems very pleasant for both parties, recent studies show that ants sometimes clip the wings off aphids to stop them flying away. They also use chemicals (found on the ants' feet) to drug them, and preventing their wings from developing. Nasty.

Sometimes, presumably when they’re hungry for protein or perhaps because they need to cull the herd, the ants may actually eat their own aphids. AGHHHHH

If you have ants in your garden - Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

Our Plant Health Care Team can treat for them and other bugs as well !

Don't delay – the sooner the better !

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 51 YEARS !

Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBA

All photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK

Written by our resident horticulturalist Peter Morris BSC. MSc. MBA

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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