Ants, Bees, and Wasps of North America

This book was a very good book, it talked about many insects that I think are interesting. It tells about all the insects that do their part in North America. I liked the chapter "The Honey Ant" in particular. The honey ant is a very interesting creature. The worker ants store nectar and honeydew inside the body of fellow ants called repletes. The replete ants will throw up drops of nectar when a hungry ant comes near it. All repletes hang upside down on the wall (ceiling) of the cave. The repletes live as long as ten years. The ants though, have a very thin and easy to break storage tank. The ant's storage vessel inside it's body will burst open sometimes! The other worker ants in  the colony then patch up the storage tank with sticky silk and saliva. Like some other ants and insects, the honey ants will also tend aphids. The aphids will squirt out sweet honeydew and the ants lick up all of it. The repletes are responsible for tending the aphids. This insect is a very interesting one that lives out in the southwestern areas, in the desert. We can learn a lot about other insects that do their part in the world. These honey ants may collect nectar differently then honey bees, but they do a big job!