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Aphids?


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#1 Offline Roachant - Posted June 4 2016 - 4:37 AM

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Hi gang,
I was wondering if any of you have introduced aphids to your ant colonies to observe what happens.
I figure it would require a potted plant with some ahpids on it and some way to prevent the ants from digging into the soil of the plant.
Don

#2 Offline Miles - Posted June 4 2016 - 8:53 AM

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I have introduced them in temporary ways by keeping the cutting alive in a sealed water container. This allowed the plant to live for about a week, and the ants farmed the aphids as they would in the wild. It was awesome.


PhD Student & NSF Graduate Research Fellow | University of Florida Dept. of Entomology & Nematology - Lucky Ant Lab 

 

Founder & Director of The Ant Network. Ant keeper since 2009. Insect ecologist and science communicator. He/Him.


#3 Offline LC3 - Posted June 4 2016 - 10:34 AM

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Ants would farm the aphid. Heck what was interesting was that even if the aphid wasn't on any plant or anything and served no immediate purpose they still didn't attack it and show aggression to the aphids. Not sure what happens if they're left in the container for too long. I assume they would die before the ants deemed them useless.






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