‘Deep Look’ Examines the Fascinating Farming Methods of Leafcutter Ants

The KQED series Deep Look examines the farming methods of leafcutter ants in a recent episode. The ants don’t really eat the leaves themselves; they use them to farm a delicious and nutritious fungus.

Ants don’t eat leaves. They use them to grow white tufts of nutritious fungus to feed their offspring. Their success as farmers has made leafcutter ants into fungus tycoons, complete with their own underground cities and huge half-inch soldiers to patrol them.