› added 11 years ago

121

TIL that ants ‘farm’ mealybugs. In return for honeydew, the bugs are given shelter in the form of ‘barns’ constructed by the ant ‘farmers’ from bits of soil. Ants will defend their ‘herds’ from predators. Ants ‘milk’ them by stroking the bug’s abdomen, it responds by exuding honeydew.

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