Honey-pot Ants

As their names suggest, honey-pot ants are like living pots of honey. They come from the fringes of deserts, or the semi-deserts. After the rains, there is so much nectar from ephemeral plants, there is actually more than enough. Good food will not be wasted in the harsh living conditions of the desert. So the ants feed some particular ants in the colony with nectar until their whole abdomen swells up with honey. They can be the size of grapes! Then, during the drought, when food is scarce, the other ants will feed on the honey, and the ants' abdomens shrink back to its normal size. The honey-pot ants save food in this way. They are also a source of food supply for other desert animals, including humans!

[ A honey pot ant ]