 The fungus cultivated by the adults is used to feed the ant larvae and the adult ants feed on the leaf sap.The fungus needs the ants to stay alive, and the larvae need the fungus to stay alive.In addition to feeding the fungal garden with foraged food, mainly consisting of leaves, it is protected from "Escovopsis" by the antibiotic secretions of Actinobacteria (genus "Pseudonocardia").