The aphid and certain ants are uniquely designed to depend on each other. When an aphid taps into the sap of a plant, the pressure in the plant often pumps more liquid sugar into the aphid than it can use or hold. The excess sap simply flows through the aphid's body and results in droplets of “honeydew” at its tail end. Aphids allow ants to collect and store this honeydew in their “social stomachs.” The honeydew can be regurgitated and shared with other ants.
When plants no longer provide an aphid with sap, ants will guide the aphids to new plants as far as 150 feet away. Ants have even been known to build fences around aphids to protect them from intruders. During the warm months, aphids bear live young. However, when cold air signals the approach of winter, the aphids switch to producing young by laying eggs. The ants carry the aphid eggs to their own underground nursery, where they hatch and are cared for until spring. The aphids are then transported back to the surface, where the ants place them on healthy plants.
God made such mutually beneficial relationships not only to show us His creative power, but also for man to observe and learn from.
From A Closer Look at the Evidence by Kleiss, October 7.
