They continually collect leaves which are taken to the colony, cut into tiny pieces and placed in fungal gardens.
These beetles feed on and keep fungal "gardens".
A. sexdens larvae grow embedded in the fungal garden.
The queen then starts a fungal garden using the piece brought from her birth colony.
"We're entering one of the fungal gardens now."
The termites feed their fungal gardens with their own droppings.
Leaf-cutter ants have very specific roles for taking care of the fungal garden and dumping the refuse.
Leaf-cutter ants have very specific roles when it comes to taking care of the fungal garden and dumping the refuse.
However, in one to two year old colonies, almost 60% had Escovopsis growing in the fungal garden.