ABSTRACT
Before talking about the real fungus growing specialists, Atta ants, the famous leafcutters, and about certain termites, let the authors review some of the amateurs and semiprofessionals among the fungus growers. Instead, the leaves are used to fertilize underground fungus gardens. This material, planted in the soil cavity, starts the fungus garden which is going to feed the entire colony. Ant larvae are placed on these fungus gardens and it is here that all of the members of the colony feed. Some fungus gardens are covered by an envelope, a part of the fungus itself. Organic matter, mostly wood collected, chewed, and digested by the workers, makes up the fungus gardens of the termites. It does not seem that the king, queen, and young nymphs eat fungus spherules, but the alate and reproductive forms take this fungal material with them in order to seed new fungus gardens.
