Ant Intelligence

View this video in Full Screen at 480p to see clearly.

I filmed a moth on top of a daisy flower. When I edited the footage, I noticed much more than the moth and daisy.

This video shows a fire ant capturing an aphid. After researching this online , I learned ants will capture and herd aphids. Ants secrete honeydew from aphids as a food source. The below article explains ants and aphids share a relationship of mutualism:

http://insects.about.com/od/coolandunusualinsects/f/antsandaphids.htm

The amazing footage is at the end of the video. The ant appears to attach itself to one of the moth's antennae and flys away with the moth.

After viewing Nova's "Lord of the Ants" documentary, I emailed E.O. Wilson to view and explain what is occurring in this footage. (www.eowilson.org)

You can view Nova's "Lord of the Ants" documentary using the below URL:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/eowilson/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• ant
• fire ant
• moth
• aphid
• herding
• herd
• capture
• capturing
• intelligence
• fly
• trail
• scent
• research