. An introduction to zoology, with directions for practical work (invertebrates). XXVI INSECTA: HYMENOPTERA 411 the colourless species which feeds on roots. The ant actively collects them, and keeps them in little flocks feeding on the roots neai; its own nest, so that it can obtain honey-dew when- ever it is wanted.^ It has also been shown that some ants go even further than this, for they have been known to collect, in October, the eggs of Aphides which live on the plants above the ground, and to tend theni as carefully as their own eggs all the winter until the following spring ; then the y
. An introduction to zoology, with directions for practical work (invertebrates). XXVI INSECTA: HYMENOPTERA 411 the colourless species which feeds on roots. The ant actively collects them, and keeps them in little flocks feeding on the roots neai; its own nest, so that it can obtain honey-dew when- ever it is wanted.^ It has also been shown that some ants go even further than this, for they have been known to collect, in October, the eggs of Aphides which live on the plants above the ground, and to tend theni as carefully as their own eggs all the winter until the following spring ; then the young Aphides which have hatched out are brought by them to the surface, and deposited on the food plant they need, where they can be visited by the ants when hungry. Most ants feed also on any animal matter that comes in their way, such as a dead fly, and probably the Yellow Ant will vary its diet in this way at times, though it seems to live mainly on nectar and honey-dew. When feeding on anything solid, the ant iirst packs it into a little pocket lying below the mouth (see p. 405), and here all the juice possible is squeezed out of it and is swallowed, for only liquid matter can pass down the very fine oesophagus leading to the " crop " which is situated just beyond the "pedicel" or waist. The solid residue is ejected from this " infra-buccal" pocket later (cf. p. 425). As a rule only some of the ants go out to forage, and on their return they feed the queen and the nurses who have stayed in the nest to look after the eggs and larvae. It is a curious sight to watch one ant feeding another. When the. Pig. 313.—Lcmus flavus. (Much enlarged.) One ant, A, feeding another, B. forager returns, a hungry ant runs up to her and begins rapidly stroking her cheeks and head with her antennae as if begging for food; the forager then opens her mandibles ' Lubbock, Ants, Bees, and Wasps, p. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page im
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