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Ant and aphids
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Ant and aphids

by Balakumar Kaushik

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted August 8, 201073 views4 comments
Made this image couple of weeks back near a small pond.

Aphids are small bugs about 2mm in size. The ants stimulate the aphids by stroking them gently with their antenna or forelegs. When stroked, the aphids excrete a substance called "honeydew" which is rich in nutrients that the ants require. The ants consume the same and in return, protect the aphids from predators such as flies, wasps, and beetles.

Nikon D300 ,Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro, tripod.
f/32, 1/80, ISO800, off-camera flash.

Critiques welcome...

Comments

4 comments
Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on August 8, 2010 at 2:11 PM
Very nice shot. I know that ants are not easy subject.

Congrats

D&L
Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments
Comment posted by Sam Rua on August 8, 2010 at 5:22 PM
Nice close-up and comp. Well done for such a slow shutter speed. I'd love to see a larger version of this. :smile:
Registered on September 9, 2006, 130 Posts, 2281 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on August 8, 2010 at 8:55 PM
Good macro work, Balakumar. :toast:
Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Comment posted by jamie pringle on August 9, 2010 at 10:43 AM
I saw this and photographed it on my sunflowers. Pretty interesting behavior. I really like your results with sharp focus and clean background. Excellent :toast:
Registered on August 10, 2005, 323 Posts, 1216 Comments