Black bean aphids (known in Britain as Blackfly) being farmed/milked by ants on Cursium rivulare 'Atropurpureum' flowers.
Black bean aphids (known in Britain as Blackfly) being 'farmed'/'milked' by ants on Cursium rivulare 'Atropurpureum' flowers. Spectacular, deep crimson thistles appear on erect stems in July and August above spiny, dark green leaves. This handsome, towering thistle is a valuable addition to a summer garden and looks equally at home in a wildflower meadow, beside water or in groups among other perennials. Although it will tolerate dry conditions and partial shade, it does best in a moist, sunny border. The ants actively farm the aphids by keeping them all together and protecting them from predators such as ladybirds, wasps and hoverfly larvae. Excess sugars from the sap are excreted by the aphid in a concentrated form called honeydew, which in turn is fed on by the ants by ‘milking’ the aphids The ants actively farm the aphids by keeping them all together and protecting them from predators such as ladybirds, wasps and hoverfly larvae. Honeydew can form up to 90% of the ants’ diet, and they take it back to their nest to regurgitate in order to feed the queen and other workers in the nest.
Size: 4032px × 6048px
Location: Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, Cymru, UK,
Photo credit: © Jean Williamson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ants, aphid, aphids, atropurpureum, bean, bed, black, blackfly, border, brook, cirsium, close, colony, cymru, farming, flower, flowers, fly, garden, insects, milking, north, perenial, pests, plume, protecting, rivulare, stems, sumer, summer, sunshine, tall, thistle, top, uk, wales
