Recently, I discovered a site where Crematogaster lineolata workers are farming aphids for honeydew. The ants protect the aphids, and the aphids excrete honeydew, a sugary liquid, which ants love eating. The aphids need to be moved from time to time if, for example, their host plant dies. Thankfully for the aphids, the ants will carry them to a new site. In winter, ants store the aphid eggs within their nests, and when spring arrives, the aphids are carried to a fresh host plant. The size of an aphid farm depends on the size of the ant colony farming the aphids.
