Certain species of ants act as agricultural overlords by actively farming aphids for a sugary substance they produce called honeydew.

A closer look

Certain species of ants act as agricultural overlords by actively farming aphids for a sugary substance they produce called honeydew. The ants protect the aphids from predators like ladybugs, herd them to the best, juiciest plants, and essentially milk them by stroking their abdomens with their antennae. In colder months, these industrious ants will even carry aphid eggs down into their underground nests to keep them warm until spring, ensuring their precious livestock survives the frost. It is an impressive display of insect agriculture until you realize the ants will enthusiastically bite off the aphids' wings to prevent them from flying away and escaping the farm. We humans tend to think we invented animal husbandry and farming operations, but tiny insects have been running incredibly ruthless, highly efficient dairy farms right under our feet for millions of years