Ant Farmer

Ant Sucking HoneyDew from Aphid

Who would consider ants farmers? Farmer is not a vocation naturally assigned to these tiny insects. The fact is that they herd and care for aphids to keep a much-loved food in constant supply. Aphids and ants on plants are as interdependent as Idli & sambar. I saw this Camponotus Ant on the underside of … Read more

Two Ants on a Rattlepod

Two Ants on a Rattlepod

I found this Golden backed Ant (Camponotus sericeus) and a tiny pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) on a fresh pod of Rattlepod (Crotalaria pallida) in my backyard. I was using my favorite macro rig consists of Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM illuminated by Canon MT-24EX macro twin light … Read more

Golden Backed Ant Trapped by Cellar Spider

Golden Backed Ant Trapped by Cellar Spider

When my wife called me to our dining room to photograph a spider which has trapped an ant 10 times its size, I rushed to photograph this spectacle. It was true fight of David vs Goliath. The Golden Backed Ant (Camponotus sericeus) which was trapped in the Cellar spider’s web and was hanging upside down … Read more

Camponotus Ants Tending Aphids

Camponotus Ants Tending Aphids

It was raining heavily, I found these few amber colored ants climbing a sugarcane stem which had grown in our garden. They went underneath a leaf and stayed there for a long time. I was curious to find what they were doing. I turned the leaf over and I found these Camponotus Ants on the … Read more

Camponotus Ant Tending Aphids

I found this Camponotus Ant (thanks Alex for pointing out the correct ID for the ant) on hibiscus branch which was tending aphids. I used Rayflash ring flash adapter attached to Canon Speedlite 580EX II which gave a far smoother light for the ant. The effect was far better than Canon MT-24EX macro twin light … Read more