What is a primary food source for Velvety Tree Ants?

The choice of other insects as a primary food source for Velvety Tree Ants is based on their behavior as predators and scavengers. Velvety Tree Ants, like many ant species, engage in predation and can consume a variety of insects, which provides them with protein vital for their diet. Their foraging behavior often leads them to hunt smaller insects or scavenge on decaying matter that includes insect remnants.

While wood cellulose, plant nectar, and fungi can also be part of their diet, they do not serve as the primary food source. Wood cellulose is primarily a component of plant material, which ants do not digest efficiently. Plant nectar can attract ants and be a food source for many ant species, but it typically acts more as a supplementary or seasonal source compared to the protein obtained from other insects. Fungi, while consumed by some ant species, is not primarily what Velvety Tree Ants rely upon to meet their nutritional needs. Thus, other insects play a crucial role in their dietary habits, making this the correct answer.