Garden Ants 'Milking' Aphids on a Japanese Cherry

For about a week I watched 100s of ants marching relentlessly up and down a Japanese Cherry blossom in the garden. Wondering what they were eating I took a closer look & noticed hundreds of aphids all over the buds of the tree with ants swarming all over them, but never saw an ant attack or become aggressive with any of the aphids.

It was clear the ants marching home were bloated with amber coloured abdomens twice the size of the ones leaving the nest. I focused on one particular ant, watching it use its antenna to 'tickle' an aphid until a tiny liquid bubble appeared from its rear, which the ant gobbled up.

Further inspection revealed all the ants performing the same 'ticking' action. A beautiful example of a symbiotic relationship between a host environment and its inhabitants. The tree sacrifices sap to the aphids and both get a protective detail of ants to guard over them.

It's interesting to me, their little world operates just like ours - they work together to guard & nurture their habitat so it provides the sustenance they require, waste is recycled & there is a level of protection for those that need it. It's just that they do it a lot better than we do.