An incident with a slingshot led scientists to a greater understanding of the relationship between the insects and their host trees.

WHILE MANY PEOPLE IN PANAMA were at home, passing time during the pandemic, five kids were out shooting a clay ball at trees with a slingshot. They wanted to give themselves a challenge, so they were targeting slender cecropia trees in particular. One of the kids was aiming for its broad, flat leaves, but hit the stem instead, leaving a clean, gaping hole, from one side to the other.

William Wcislo, an entomologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and father of two of the kids, had been tending to this tree, and was worried that it had suffered irreparable damage. But when he returned later, he was in for a surprise. The holes had been patched up.

Closer inspection revealed who was responsible: Azteca alfari, small, sand-colored ants known to build nests inside cecropia trees, which are widespread in Central and South America. Wcislo saw how they swarmed to the site of injury, gathered small, fibrous plant pieces from inside the stem, combined it with a sap-like substance, and quickly started closing up the hole.   Continue Reading…