Laird’s Pond, Flint Hills Wildlife Refuge – Using its antenna a black ant milks an aphid, freeing a small drop of “honeydew”. Called a “mutualistic relationship” aphids receive protection from predators in exchange for the sweet liquid. Some ants nurture their herds from year to year by storing aphid eggs in their nests over the winter months, then move them to the plants in the spring to create a new colony. For more information check this Wikipedia article.