Farmer Ants

I was checking my grape vines at the barn property and noticed some discolored leaves on a milkweed plant. After a closer inspection of the leaves I found the discolored area of the leaves were covered with aphids and some ants.



Ants and aphids share a well-documented relationship of mutualism. Ants feed on the sugary honeydew left behind by aphids. In exchange, the ants protect the aphids from predators and parasites. The aphids look to be positioned in rows lined up with the veins in the leaf.



Different leaves had different size aphids.