Wednesday, May 24, 2006
One Grain at a Time
Alice bought an ant farm a while ago. She decided to populate it with ants purchased through the mail from the ant farm company rather than with our local common patio ants. Months seemed to go by (and the $4 check is still uncashed) and then a small package marked "Perishable" arrived in the mail last week. Our "bearded ants" had finally arrived. We wasted no time watering the sand, refrigerating the ants (yes, it settles them down prior to transfer) and dumping them into the farm (not as easy as it sounds), only decapitating one or two in the process.
The ants wasted no time getting started on the sand. In only a few days, they have dug numerous tunnels and relocated large mounds of sand up above the "ground" and have piled it high above the plastic farmhouse, tree, and barn. It looks suspiciously like they are piling the sand up to get to the escape hatch on top. I get the sense that they will never reach the stage of saying, metaphorically, "We're done. We have all the tunnels and sleeping space we need."
What happens when the tunnel system becomes so elaborate that it collapses? I suppose at that point, they will relocate the sand above the ground down below. I suspect that eventually every grain of sand will have been relocated elsewhere, yet they will continue busily continuing to relocate them some more. It doesn't look like they are planning for early retirement soon.
I always really wanted an ant farm when I was a kid and it is as cool as I ever thought it would be. I'll keep you posted.
Alice bought an ant farm a while ago. She decided to populate it with ants purchased through the mail from the ant farm company rather than with our local common patio ants. Months seemed to go by (and the $4 check is still uncashed) and then a small package marked "Perishable" arrived in the mail last week. Our "bearded ants" had finally arrived. We wasted no time watering the sand, refrigerating the ants (yes, it settles them down prior to transfer) and dumping them into the farm (not as easy as it sounds), only decapitating one or two in the process.
The ants wasted no time getting started on the sand. In only a few days, they have dug numerous tunnels and relocated large mounds of sand up above the "ground" and have piled it high above the plastic farmhouse, tree, and barn. It looks suspiciously like they are piling the sand up to get to the escape hatch on top. I get the sense that they will never reach the stage of saying, metaphorically, "We're done. We have all the tunnels and sleeping space we need."
What happens when the tunnel system becomes so elaborate that it collapses? I suppose at that point, they will relocate the sand above the ground down below. I suspect that eventually every grain of sand will have been relocated elsewhere, yet they will continue busily continuing to relocate them some more. It doesn't look like they are planning for early retirement soon.
I always really wanted an ant farm when I was a kid and it is as cool as I ever thought it would be. I'll keep you posted.
# posted by Jack @ 9:51 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
I wanted one too, but I always figured they didn't turn out as cool as the ads said. In fact, I have seen some that weren't any good, and here is the clincher. They were the ol' patio ant. Apparently you bought "Tunnel Ants."
That's awesome. Much more successful apparently than the stupid sea monkeys I ordered when I was a kid. Brine shrimp, with no crowns on their heads like the ad showed. Sigh. Life is full of disappointment
In reflecting again on this post, it is really humorous to me that, living in Florida, I spend many dollars per month eradicating the thousands of ants that seek refuge in our house after the rains (Florida is the only state that houses every ant breed that exists in the US). Four dollars to bring them in, fifty dollars to keep them out....
Post a Comment
<< Home
