Normally, there are only a small number of ants in any given area on the plant stem. There are about 40 workers per leaf, but generally only a few will be patrolling outside. Once an insect lands on the plant, the closest ant will immediately surface and grab on to a leg, antenna, wing, or some other appendage of the prey. This ant will pull the prey, which will try to escape by pulling in the opposite direction. However, the ant will rarely let go of its grip. The ant immobilizes the prey and, using an extreme feat of strength, will hold the much larger prey to the plant as more ants from around that area arrive. This ability to hold the prey is extremely important because the ants move and congregate fairly slowly.