Ant Mystery; Any Entomologists In The House?

[mso489]

Yesterday morning I went to cook breakfast and the stove top and hood were carpeted with ants. I did my usual anti-ant routine swabbing them up with a sponge and dunking them in soapy water. I put on disposable gloves when they started nipping. Then I broke out the ant traps, little flat containers of liquid where you snap off the tops and the ants come to the bait and get zapped. A few months ago I went through basically the same routine, but in the foyer with what I think were slightly larger ants, though both sets were small in the ant kingdom. Okay, now here's the mystery. In both cases, as the ants dwindle in number, there are a few hanger-ons, eventually just a few here and there, and then you get up after about two days of this, and not only are many gone, but they are all gone -- no casualties, no remains, no nothing. Do ants retrieved their dead before perishing? How does this happen? Direct ascent to ant heaven?

 

[scloyd]

This past spring I noticed a few tiny ants behind the toilet. I put down a couple of the little plastic square baits behind the toilet. For a couple of days I saw lots of ants behind the toilet coming and going. Then all of a sudden...gone, all of them. I expected to find dead ants, nothing. Great question Tom.

 

[mso489]

Surely some scientific student of ants somewhere has studied this or observed it while studying something else about ants. I think it is known by ant researchers but not much by others. Fascinating.

 

[scloyd]

Here's your answer.
Ants and Their Dead
It appears ants carry off their dead.

 

[mso489]

Thank you! I'm impressed, but it had to be something like that. The Free University of Pipesmagazine comes through again. I hope others will avail themselves of the link; it is so brief and succinct.

 

[shanez]

Hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle is very effective at killing ants instantly however it's not effective for eliminating them.

I think the little squares have something that doesn't kill them instantly but is carried back to their nest on their bodies which helps keep them at bay. I'm not certain of this though.

 

[scloyd]

I think the little squares have something that doesn't kill them instantly but is carried back to their nest on their bodies which helps keep them at bay. I'm not certain of this though.

I thought they brought it back to the nest and fed it to the others like Kool-Aid.
"It's going to be okay, just eat it."
"Try it, you'll like it".

 

[mso489]

That's what the box says. The ants carry it back to the colony and it finishes off the whole nest. Incidentally, when I wash my hands in warm water, that brings the little stings from the ants back to life, bright red spots, but only two show, and they bit me more than that. Apparently it awakens the toxin. Luckily, not fire ants, or it would have been a world of pain. The nitrile gloves blocked the pinchers of these tiny ants -- bigger ants, maybe not. The joys of summer.

 

[olkofri]

I thought they brought it back to the nest and fed it to the others like Kool-Aid.
"It's going to be okay, just eat it."
"Try it, you'll like it".

Just like with latakia! ?

 

[dontbeaburleyman]

Just a PSA. Not an entomologist.

Ants secrete formic acid when they bite. That's what causes the burning sensation.

My wife swears by white vinegar to get rid of them. She buys the commercially available product in a spray bottle. Kills them and keeps them away. I find this interesting because vinegar is acetic acid. (I know. Nerd.)

Somewhere along the line, I also ran across this:

Nicotine and Water
7/12

Anthills on your property act as bases for ants to stage assaults on your home. One great way to fire back is by soaking those hills in nicotine-infused water. The same pipe tobacco that can be harmful to humans over the long term will instantly dispose of an entire ant infantry. To stage your sneak attack, soak pipe tobacco in water overnight, then pour it over the anthills

 

[jpmcwjr]

Gosh, I hope you can use dottle for that! It should do, if not just ash.
Hope those in the thrift thread read this!

 

[stevecourtright]

"Ants secrete formic acid when they bite. That's what causes the burning sensation. "

Which is the reason behind the name of the group (subfamily) "Formicidae."

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Sooo... when I was younger, me and a couple of other guys got wind of a trick to make fire ants blow up. As in explode. The powder from an ABC type fire extinguisher + fire ant + household bleach = BOOM. Each fire ant pops with about the same intensity as a Black Cat firework. A stirred up mound is quite the show, sending ant mound bits everywhere in a prolonged string of small explosions. It is quite impressive... I hear ?

 

[briarbuck]

No Ant is left behind. Respect...

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Do ants retrieved their dead before perishing? How does this happen? Direct ascent to ant heaven?"

Some years ago I was growing parsley & spring onions commercially in polytunnels on the farm and occasionally discovered ant nests in said tunnels. When I did I would get a kettle of boiling water and pour it over the nest. After about 15 minutes any surviving ants could be seen carrying away those that had perished and also their (now boiled) eggs! Where they went I haven't a clue!

By the way, ants don't secrete formic acid, they actually squirt it with incredible pressure.

Regards,

Jay.?

 

[jeff540]

We use Terro when the ants really start swarming in late May, early June.

I've noticed that when placing the Terro amongst a line of ants, they instantly swarm the stuff in an almost orgiastic frenzy.

 

[mso489]

My wife's mom, a farmer in Missouri, always used the boiling water trick, carrying out the tea kettle and dousing an ants nest anywhere near the house to keep the ants from joining the family for supper.

 

[davek]

What's the difference between an etymologist and an entomologist?

The etymologist knows.

 

[warren]

Damn! I always thought there were tiny little hearses, the driver dressed in a wee tux, who took away the bodies and handled the "arrangements" for the family, that hauled away the bodies.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

@mso489 , I forgot to mention, I have had fire ants swarm like that once or twice in my house. Always during the hottest part of the year. I have a cousin that’s an exterminator. He says they’re trying to find water when they do that. ?‍
FWIW, I’ve heard people swear by diatomaceous earth. Did not work for me. I ended up just broadcasting fire ant granules on the whole yard. I even ignored the warnings and put a small pile inside the house where the ants were traveling. Kept the dog and kids away from it. That worked.