Ben S1d ago

Citrus snack time. These Ghost ants were doing something I've never seen before. This unknown citrus tree has several leaf buds just starting to elongate and they were clustering around these elongated bud tips. I don't know if they were actively chewing or just collecting phloem at damaged areas.

#Nature #Photography #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Tapinoma #melanocephalum #Citrus #Macro #SriLanka

Show threadAlbert Cardona

@twizzt

Could these ants be taking nectar from a male flower, which has nectaries in Citrus trees? Although the nectaries are at the base, not at the tip:
file:///home/albert/Downloads/Micromorphology_anatomy_and_ultrast.pdf

In summer, lemon and orange trees are covered in insects, presumably drinking sugary secretions. These trees like to keep bees and wasps, and ants, on it.

Jun 15 at 2:01pmWeb
Show threadBen S1d ago
@albertcardona It's a damaged leaf. There is some buprestid that really took a toll on the leaves last month but I don't know if there is some caterpillar or something going after the freshly budded leaves. I found a swallowtail of some sort on it a week ago. The ants seemed to be actively chewing it though. Maybe just preventing it from scabbing? It is very fragrant.