<P> Aphids and other hemipteran insects secrete a sweet liquid called honeydew, when they feed on plant sap . The sugars in honeydew are a high - energy food source, which many ant species collect . In some cases, the aphids secrete the honeydew in response to ants tapping them with their antennae . The ants in turn keep predators away from the aphids and will move them from one feeding location to another . When migrating to a new area, many colonies will take the aphids with them, to ensure a continued supply of honeydew . Ants also tend mealybugs to harvest their honeydew . Mealybugs may become a serious pest of pineapples if ants are present to protect mealybugs from their natural enemies . </P> <P> Myrmecophilous (ant - loving) caterpillars of the butterfly family Lycaenidae (e.g., blues, coppers, or hairstreaks) are herded by the ants, led to feeding areas in the daytime, and brought inside the ants' nest at night . The caterpillars have a gland which secretes honeydew when the ants massage them . Some caterpillars produce vibrations and sounds that are perceived by the ants . Other caterpillars have evolved from ant - loving to ant - eating: these myrmecophagous caterpillars secrete a pheromone that makes the ants act as if the caterpillar is one of their own larvae . The caterpillar is then taken into the ant nest where it feeds on the ant larvae . Fungus - growing ants that make up the tribe Attini, including leafcutter ants, cultivate certain species of fungus in the Leucoagaricus or Leucocoprinus genera of the Agaricaceae family . In this ant - fungus mutualism, both species depend on each other for survival . The ant Allomerus decemarticulatus has evolved a three - way association with the host plant, Hirtella physophora (Chrysobalanaceae), and a sticky fungus which is used to trap their insect prey . </P> <P> Lemon ants make devil's gardens by killing surrounding plants with their stings and leaving a pure patch of lemon ant trees, (Duroia hirsuta). This modification of the forest provides the ants with more nesting sites inside the stems of the Duroia trees . Although some ants obtain nectar from flowers, pollination by ants is somewhat rare . Some plants have special nectar exuding structures, extrafloral nectaries, that provide food for ants, which in turn protect the plant from more damaging herbivorous insects . Species such as the bullhorn acacia (Acacia cornigera) in Central America have hollow thorns that house colonies of stinging ants (Pseudomyrmex ferruginea) who defend the tree against insects, browsing mammals, and epiphytic vines . Isotopic labelling studies suggest that plants also obtain nitrogen from the ants . In return, the ants obtain food from protein - and lipid - rich Beltian bodies . In Fiji Philidris nagasau (Dolichoderinae) are known to selectively grow species of epiphytic Squamellaria (Rubiaceae) which produce large domatia inside which the ant colonies nest . The ants plant the seeds and the domatia of young seedling are immediately occupied and the ant faeces in them contribute to rapid growth . Similar dispersal associations are found with other dolichoderines in the region as well . Another example of this type of ectosymbiosis comes from the Macaranga tree, which has stems adapted to house colonies of Crematogaster ants . </P> <P> Many tropical tree species have seeds that are dispersed by ants . Seed dispersal by ants or myrmecochory is widespread and new estimates suggest that nearly 9% of all plant species may have such ant associations . Some plants in fire - prone grassland systems are particularly dependent on ants for their survival and dispersal as the seeds are transported to safety below the ground . Many ant - dispersed seeds have special external structures, elaiosomes, that are sought after by ants as food . </P>

What is the name of ant's offspring