What is cherry head honeypot ants?

Cherry head honeypot ants are a type of ant that primarily live in arid regions of North America. They are known for their unique ability to store and distribute food throughout their colony.

The worker ants of the colony consume large amounts of sugary liquid, such as honeydew secreted by aphids or from nectar-producing plants. They then transport the collected liquid to a designated ant called a replete, who then swells up to several times their normal size and becomes a living storage vessel. The replete's abdomen becomes engorged with the sugary liquid which is later regurgitated to feed other ants in the colony when food becomes scarce.

Cherry head honeypot ants are usually brightly colored, with deep red or orange heads and thoraxes and black abdomens. They are relatively small in size, measuring anywhere from 3-6mm in length. These ants typically live in underground nests and can form colonies of up to several thousand individuals.

Honeypot ants play a vital role in their ecosystem by acting as pollinators, soil aerators, and decomposers. Several native North American tribes used the honeypot ants as a source of food, considering the replete's sugary liquid a prized delicacy.