honey ant
Edible desert insect
Honey ants are ants whose workers serve as living food storage.
Certain individuals, called repletes, are fed nectar and honeydew until their abdomens swell enormously, becoming translucent globes of stored liquid.
They hang from the ceiling of underground chambers, regurgitating food to nestmates during scarcity.
Several ant species across arid regions have evolved this adaptation.
Indigenous peoples in Australia and the American Southwest harvest them as a sweet delicacy.
Australia's native peoples
- DreamtimeAboriginal mythological creation era
- IndigenousOriginal inhabitants of land
- OutbackAustralian-themed steakhouse chain
- Alice SpringsAustralian outback municipality
Tjukurpa · Uluru · ceremonial · totem · country · elder · traditional knowledge · desert survival
Floral sugar water
- gatherBring or come together
- scoutOne who reconnoiters
- trailPath through wilderness
- harvestGathering mature crops
collect · provision · aphid · honeydew · food source · territory · search · storage
Enclosed room or cavity
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
- nestAnimal-built shelter for young
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
excavation · gallery · storage chamber · soil · clay · sand · depth · earthwork
Floral sugar water
- sugarCrystalline carbohydrate sweetener
- glucosePrimary cellular fuel
- fructoseMonosaccharide in produce
- syrupThick sugar liquid
saccharine · sweet treat · edible · delicacy · burst · flavor · natural sweetener · honeypot
Torso's lower cavity
- distendedSwollen from pressure within
- engorgedSwollen from excess filling
- translucentPermitting diffused light passage
- thoraxCentral body cavity
antenna · mandible · exoskeleton · six-legged · tarsus · worker · queen · larvae
Aboriginal
Australia's native peoples
- DreamtimeAboriginal mythological creation era
- IndigenousOriginal inhabitants of land
- OutbackAustralian-themed steakhouse chain
Tjukurpa · Alice Springs · Uluru · ceremonial · totem · country · elder · traditional knowledge · desert survival · gathering
nectar
Floral sugar water
harvest · collect · provision · aphid · honeydew · food source · territory · search · storage · seasonal
chamber
Enclosed room or cavity
- tunnelEnclosed underground route
- nestAnimal-built shelter for young
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
subterranean · excavation · gallery · storage chamber · soil · clay · sand · depth · earthwork · cavity
nectar
Floral sugar water
- sugarCrystalline carbohydrate sweetener
- glucosePrimary cellular fuel
- fructoseMonosaccharide in produce
syrup · saccharine · sweet treat · edible · delicacy · burst · flavor · natural sweetener · honeypot · liquid gold
abdomen
Torso's lower cavity
- distendedSwollen from pressure within
- engorgedSwollen from excess filling
- translucentPermitting diffused light passage
thorax · antenna · mandible · exoskeleton · six-legged · tarsus · worker · queen · larvae · pupa
honey antarmy ant
Nomadic predatory insect colony
driver ant · leafcutter ant · worker ant · soldier ant · harvester