The ants then eat the fungus. The fungus benefits from a guaranteed food supply and the elimination of competing fungi. Neither the ants nor the fungus is found separately in nature. The ants house the beneficial fungus in their nests, supply it with leaves, and remove any invading fungi. Ant nest mounds extend up to three feet underground.
Nest building raises a huge mound of soil.
Worker ants search for leaves, cut out disks, and carry them back to the nest. At the nest, the leaf disks are passed to other workers. Then they crush these tiny pieces and mix them with their saliva. The paste-like material that results is added to the garden. The workers transplant bits of fungus tissue from older parts of the garden to the new leaf paste.