Myrmecology dies in darkness
August 7, 2017 4:01 PM Subscribe
Here at The Daily Ant, our mission is to provide premier ant content for general consumption. The Daily Ant hosts a weekly series, Philosophy Phridays, in which real philosophers share their thoughts at the intersection of ants and philosophy.
How timely. I just listened to a podcast about Argentine Ants and how terrifying they truly are. So this is great nightmare fodder. Good share.
posted by Fizz at 4:50 PM on August 7, 2017
posted by Fizz at 4:50 PM on August 7, 2017
@Fizz, nightmare fodder? I'm curious about why you don't like ants... remember, only a few of the 13,000+ known species of ants are invasive. Never judge the many based on the actions of a few!
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 5:07 PM on August 7, 2017
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 5:07 PM on August 7, 2017
@Benjamin Blanchard Oh it's my own fear of insects. I dislike ants and roaches. Had some fairly traumatic childhood events. Went camping once and woke up to my legs covered in ants and bites.
And another time woke up in the middle of the night with a roach behind my neck, I reached to itch and pulled out a roach covered in my own sweat.
Waking up and bugs. Not a good combination and enough that I just dislike them and am freaked out when I see them on screen or in person. Despite how important they are to the ecosystem, I do love knowledge like this though, so its nightmare fodder but educational nightmare fodder.
posted by Fizz at 5:17 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
And another time woke up in the middle of the night with a roach behind my neck, I reached to itch and pulled out a roach covered in my own sweat.
Waking up and bugs. Not a good combination and enough that I just dislike them and am freaked out when I see them on screen or in person. Despite how important they are to the ecosystem, I do love knowledge like this though, so its nightmare fodder but educational nightmare fodder.
posted by Fizz at 5:17 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
@Fizz Oh ok, good to know :) I thought maybe you were just a run-of-the-mill myrmecophobe! Gotta admit, those sound like pretty rough experiences! I hope some day, the beauty and wonder of ants will overcome your entonightmares.
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 5:21 PM on August 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 5:21 PM on August 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
Do they ever discuss Cixin Liu's short story, "Of Ants and Dinosaurs"? They should.
posted by NoMich at 6:17 PM on August 7, 2017
posted by NoMich at 6:17 PM on August 7, 2017
Hi Ben, fellow Myrmecologist Buck here - good to see you on Metafilter!
posted by Buckt at 6:59 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Buckt at 6:59 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
@NoMich, WOW I was not aware of this story. As editor-in-chief of the The Daily Ant, I will be sure to include it at some point!
@Buckt: Nice to meet you too - and I'm happy that someone found The Daily Ant interesting enough to share here!
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 7:05 PM on August 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
@Buckt: Nice to meet you too - and I'm happy that someone found The Daily Ant interesting enough to share here!
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 7:05 PM on August 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
First of all, a fan of the daily ant. Found it some time in April or May and have read most of the content.
They installed new sprinklers in the office last week. The sudden 'rain' triggered a small nuptial flight.
I caught a couple of queens, some Campanotus species. Quickly carved little founding chambers in a firebrick, a piece of transparent plastic from clamshell packaging as a lid, kept tight with rubber bands. Hydrated with RO water. (I don't like the old fashioned test tube founding chambers, breaks my heart to see the queen struggling to get some purchase on the glass to move around and tend the eggs). Everything seemed fine, the queens seemed happy with the humidity and the temperature.
My plan was to start a little colony, make it a project for me and my 4 year old. So much to learn from watching a lone queen build a hundreds strong society in a year.
On Friday I was checking on the queens, trying to imagine the little rules in their little minds that tells
them how to ant. I remember the Parent section of the Transformative Experience Philosophy Phriday post.
Suddenly I was overcome by a deep existential funk. I just couldn't. Released the queens close to were I found them, waited for them to dig a nice little hole.
Today at the park I was looking at my daughter and the other kids playing, and could only think of lost innocence. I wished we could be just like ants.
Long story short, I start therapy again next week. Be careful when you think too much about ants.
posted by Dr. Curare at 7:19 PM on August 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
They installed new sprinklers in the office last week. The sudden 'rain' triggered a small nuptial flight.
I caught a couple of queens, some Campanotus species. Quickly carved little founding chambers in a firebrick, a piece of transparent plastic from clamshell packaging as a lid, kept tight with rubber bands. Hydrated with RO water. (I don't like the old fashioned test tube founding chambers, breaks my heart to see the queen struggling to get some purchase on the glass to move around and tend the eggs). Everything seemed fine, the queens seemed happy with the humidity and the temperature.
My plan was to start a little colony, make it a project for me and my 4 year old. So much to learn from watching a lone queen build a hundreds strong society in a year.
On Friday I was checking on the queens, trying to imagine the little rules in their little minds that tells
them how to ant. I remember the Parent section of the Transformative Experience Philosophy Phriday post.
Suddenly I was overcome by a deep existential funk. I just couldn't. Released the queens close to were I found them, waited for them to dig a nice little hole.
Today at the park I was looking at my daughter and the other kids playing, and could only think of lost innocence. I wished we could be just like ants.
Long story short, I start therapy again next week. Be careful when you think too much about ants.
posted by Dr. Curare at 7:19 PM on August 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
Never judge the many based on the actions of a few!
A few bad ant-ples spoil the whole Formicidae...
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:25 PM on August 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
A few bad ant-ples spoil the whole Formicidae...
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:25 PM on August 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
@Dr. Curare - interesting story indicative of the infinite instructive insights insects provide! You may find that this short podcast, by philosopher Barry Lam, captures some of your emotions.
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 7:30 PM on August 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 7:30 PM on August 7, 2017 [2 favorites]
Thanks for the link, will listen later.
posted by Dr. Curare at 7:36 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr. Curare at 7:36 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
What is this, a website for about ants?
posted by Foosnark at 7:37 PM on August 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Foosnark at 7:37 PM on August 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
@Dr. Curare: Speaking personally, nothing clears up my existential ant-gst quicker than the Daily Ant's astounding interview with Professor Ram Neta.
posted by Bromius at 7:52 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bromius at 7:52 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hey Benjamin Blanchard! I'm glad you dropped by!
I should have probably put more effort into this post by selecting individual articles to highlight, but maybe you can fix my shortcoming: which Philosophy Phridays articles you yourself would put forth as especially interesting?
posted by Pyrogenesis at 1:04 AM on August 8, 2017
I should have probably put more effort into this post by selecting individual articles to highlight, but maybe you can fix my shortcoming: which Philosophy Phridays articles you yourself would put forth as especially interesting?
posted by Pyrogenesis at 1:04 AM on August 8, 2017
Also, come to think of it... is it common practice in the US and elsewhere what we did as children in the Soviet Union. Which was to take a straw and put it into openings in an anthill or just slide it along the mound, among the ants. And the ants would spit their toxins on the straw and then you'd lick the straw because it's actually pretty tasty! Used to do that all the time back in the day...
posted by Pyrogenesis at 2:37 AM on August 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Pyrogenesis at 2:37 AM on August 8, 2017 [3 favorites]
Hi Pyrogenesis! Hm, there are so many to choose from - 24, now! - but some of my favorites are the following:
"Consider the Ant", by Cheryl Abbate (U. Colorado)
"Ants in Your Pants", by Miriam Schoenfield (UT-Austin)
"Ants and the Problem of Evil", by Dustin Crummett (Notre Dame)
"From Ants to Quantum Non-Locality", by Eddy Chen and Isaac Wilhelm (Rutgers)
"All About Ants", by Michael Ruse (FSU) [really, this one is more history of science and rather silly, but I love it!]
And as an aside, be sure to check out our Style Saturdays and Theatre Thursdays series, too!
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 4:07 AM on August 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Consider the Ant", by Cheryl Abbate (U. Colorado)
"Ants in Your Pants", by Miriam Schoenfield (UT-Austin)
"Ants and the Problem of Evil", by Dustin Crummett (Notre Dame)
"From Ants to Quantum Non-Locality", by Eddy Chen and Isaac Wilhelm (Rutgers)
"All About Ants", by Michael Ruse (FSU) [really, this one is more history of science and rather silly, but I love it!]
And as an aside, be sure to check out our Style Saturdays and Theatre Thursdays series, too!
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 4:07 AM on August 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
And as for your other question - wow, I have not heard of this! Sounds rather innovative, though, I'm a little surprised that the formic acid tastes good. I didn't do this as a kid, but I was also born just three months before the fall of the Soviet Union, so my childhood is perhaps not an accurate comparison!
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 4:10 AM on August 8, 2017
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 4:10 AM on August 8, 2017
Oh, I should have added to my list of favorites: I also really like "Trantsformative Experience", by Chris Blake-Turner (UNC).
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 6:09 AM on August 8, 2017
posted by Benjamin Blanchard at 6:09 AM on August 8, 2017
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posted by poffin boffin at 4:49 PM on August 7, 2017 [1 favorite]