Symbiosis

This weekend I discovered black bean aphids on one of my plants, a cornflower that I grew from seed. Then I noticed that ants were regularly visiting the aphids and rather than eating them, seemed to be taking care of them.

Intrigued by this, I looked it up on the internet and discovered that the ants are indeed farming the aphids for the sweet secretions they produce.

The picture isn't clear as my camera wanted to focus on the fence behind the plant but you get the idea. Here's one from Wiki.

I suppose that as a gardener my reaction should be one of horror but as a lover of nature in all its forms I am absolutely fascinated by this symbiosis and can't help but be impressed by the enterprise of the ants.

I'll be keeping my eye on them because I'd rather they didn't spread to my broad beans about a metre and a half away but for now I'd much rather watch nature at work than destroy it.