Treehoppers and ants. Gerridius fowleri treehoppers in a mutualistic relationship with Dolichoderus bispinosus ants on a plant stem. The ants protect the treehoppers from predators and the treehoppers provide the ants with honeydew, which they excrete and the ants eat. Treehoppers (family Membracidae) are insects whose bodies often take on bizarre forms thought to aid in camouflage. There are over 3,000 known species in over 600 genera, found on all continents except Antarctica. Photographed in South America.