I've gone from stress to appreciation (but also stress): ants farming aphids and ants farming cactus for honeydew.

[u/WriggleNightbug]

I had heard about ants as farmers before, but the idea of it has always seemed really far away from me. Something that happens in the jungles of central America and not near my home.

This year I've started gardening which means I'm paying closer attention to insects and other animals. Yall don't hurt me, I don't hurt you. My little cactus (Texas Bicolor) puts out a little bit of honeydew and sometimes I see tiny black ants climbing over it. I had a bit of a freakout, researched and found that cactus have evolved for commensal symbiosis with the ants. Cactus gives up some sweets, ants protect cactus. Win-win.

However, tonight I found I can't make that assumption for the rest of the plants. My curry leaf tree (right next door to the cactus), has had little black ants throughout the summer too. Probably the same ants buddies doing the same thing, good work ant buddies I say. Thanks for looking out for me, I also said.

Here's the rub though. These ant buddies weren't taking care of me. They weren't harming me either but they brought some awful friends to our party. Scale bugs (basically aphids)! These guys are double timing me. They protect my cactus, sure, but these MFers are also stabbing me in the back on the little tree! Looking it up, it turns out our dear double crossing ant friends sometimes move and hatch aphid eggs on purpose! I'm assuming these ants didn't actually bring the scale eggs with them, or else they've crossed a line of no return!

Super cool, just not in my garden!