Unlike modern authors, Homer is not quick to reveal his personal beliefs; rather, they come about subtly, through the dialogue between two characters.
Harvester ant. Harvester ant is a common name for any of the species or genera of ants that collect seeds (called seed predation), or mushrooms as in the case of Euprenolepis procera, which are stored in the nest in communal chambers called granaries.
Both leaf-cutter ants and their Trachymyrmex relatives cultivate a specialized fungus (white) in subterranean farms. Researchers found that the same type of fungal parasites attack the farms of both Trachymyrmex and their leaf-cutter relatives. Credit: S. Solomon/Rice University.