A Little Colony Art for the Fire Ant Lovers

By | 2013-12-12

front_img_0774_btI recently posted a video showing the excavation of a massive ant colony. That one was filled in with cement. A lot of it. After seeing the arduous effort the team spent uncovering the structure, you can’t help but admire the work of the ants. It looked like a sculpture, quite artistic and clever.

Upon realizing all the ants were dead, what self respecting southerner wouldn’t think of killing off their fire ant armies in similar fashion? Yes, I too have made a concerted genocidal attempt to wipe them off of my property – after being attacked the third time while trying to cut my lawn. I got most of them, and they were gone for a while. Unfortunately, they always come back from the neighbors eventually. They’re everywhere.

Enter molten aluminum. Do not try this at home, unless you’re intimately familiar with molten metal work, have the right equipment and proper safety gear. In that case, call me before you get started so I can show you how to stream it live on the net!

Fire-ant colony + molten aluminum = incredible art…

I’m thinking there’s an opportunity here for a friendly get together. Invite some people over, put out a little wine & cheese. Light the fire pit, deep fry a turkey. Melt 20 lbs of aluminum, find and prep a fire ant mound, pour and wait. Then set the crew loose on it with some decent spoons and a hose! I wonder if it works better in sandy loam or red clay.

Somebody could make a kit and franchise it! There’s a thought… You too can be a certified fire ant slayer with a one of a kind sculpture. You heard it here last. The guy who made the video and the art was first. The nola.com site, where I found it, was second. Then there are the hundred or so people who left comments!

front_img_0693_btIt has to be fire ants though, so it’s really a southern thing. Carpenter ants just don’t have the same clever ingenuity when it comes to space efficient domicile design. They seem to make more of a simple, balanced bonsai / orchid looking thing.

The artist had one for sale last I checked.

 

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