Ants tending a treehopper (order Hemiptera) bug on a plant. Ants (family Formicidae) occasionally tend Hemipteran bugs in order to milk them for liqui

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Ants tending a treehopper (order Hemiptera) bug on a plant. Ants (family Formicidae) occasionally tend Hemipteran bugs in order to milk them for liquid food. This treehopper excretes a sugary waste product called honeydew. Ants collect the honeydew as a food resource, and treehoppers benefit both directly ( feeding facilitation) and indirectly ( protection from predators). Photographed in Ecuador.

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Size: 3421px × 5150px
Photo credit: © SINCLAIR STAMMERS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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