Aphid civilisation was, whilst advanced, still seen as an inferior to Caterpillar society, at least by the caterpillars. Aphids did, however on occasion have large incomes, and had a stronger tradition of the extended family, aphids were aphids from birth until death, and did not have to cope with any inconvenient metamorphosis. As the family was more extended, and routes of inheritance were more established, Aphid businesses were often much richer than caterpillars. Aphid society, at least before encountering caterpillars, was matriarchal and matrilineal, which meant that the head of the family always knew which children were born of the family, as she would have laid them herself.
Copyright 1999 Ian Rennie, for Remiel Productions.