Aphid-farming

Guides

• Dolichoderus

  Dolichoderus is a genus of ants comprising 181 valid species (131 extant, 50 extinct), representing the sole member of tribe Dolichoderini and type genus of subfamily Dolichoderinae. Workers are small (approximately 4 mm), possess a thick sculptured integument, and lack a functional sting. The genus exhibits remarkable ecological diversity: most species are generalist honeydew collectors that tend aphids and scale insects, while the D. cuspidatus group in Southeast Asia practices unique nomadic aphid farming with obligate mutualist mealybugs. The genus has an extensive fossil record in Baltic amber.

  antshoneydewmutualismnomadicaphid-farmingcarton-nestsBaltic-amberpolygyny

• Formica obscuripes

  Western Thatching Ant

  Formica obscuripes, the western thatching ant, is a North American mound-building ant known for constructing large thatched nests from plant materials. Colonies can contain up to 40,000 workers and demonstrate complex social organization including behavioral constancy in worker task performance. The species employs hybrid foraging strategies combining pheromone-marked columns with visual and path integration navigation. It maintains defensive mutualisms with aphids and exhibits aggressive territorial behavior including the use of formic acid against intruders and competing vegetation.

  mound-building-antthatching-antsocial-insectdefensive-mutualismecosystem-engineerformic-acidbehavioral-constancyhybrid-foragingNorth-AmericaprairiegrasslandpolydomysupercolonySternorrhynchaaphid-farmingvisual-navigationpath-integrationterritorial-aggressionFormicidaeFormicinae