Post AjjouGbl8WCTrr0ysC by helplessduck@mastodon.online
(DIR) More posts by helplessduck@mastodon.online
(DIR) Post #AjjndJegSD14RPjhKq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T00:45:22Z
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I want to stalk one of those guys who pours molten aluminum into ant colonies and find out their next target in advance... then when they aren't looking (messing with forge) burry a Bluetooth speaker near the nest. Then wait and play the sound of people screaming and crying when they start the pour...1/
(DIR) Post #AjjnkpjPargfx1X3Oy by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T00:46:45Z
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To be fair some of those guys only do pours on abandoned nests. And the casts of nest are the only way we ever learn about their shape... so I don't ALWAYS have it out for nest casting...And I guess casting fire ants isn't that bad, but it's still very sad. :( 2/2
(DIR) Post #AjjnmVwS8ruj9aQwAS by paninid@mastodon.world
2024-07-09T00:46:54Z
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@futurebird
(DIR) Post #AjjoIl69KIRPQXLPJQ by nancylwayne@mastodon.social
2024-07-09T00:52:52Z
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@futurebird University of Redlands (in CA) have been doing this as a project with fire ant colonies. If you are interested, here's a video. The nests are quite something to behold. And this video probably doesn't show the full extent of the nest since they poured very little molten aluminum into the hole.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58gSnW2FiFs
(DIR) Post #AjjoP1x3ZxIxQz58e8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T00:53:53Z
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@deilann You get a better cast from an abandon nest. And although molten metal is neat, it can't capture deep nests. There is a great book "Ant Architecture" about making plaster casts of all kinds of nests... some of them are *meters* deep. But you can only find this out using plaster, and then digging the nest out with great care and putting it back together like a puzzle. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691179315/ant-architecture
(DIR) Post #AjjoSmJ3gmkq4P9z9M by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T00:54:43Z
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@nancylwayne Yeah, this is why I think plaster casts are better for research. You can get the deep chambers.
(DIR) Post #AjjoloDWoDSxUxeEM4 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T00:58:07Z
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@deilann Some of them are metal. I think he goes into the pros and cons of each kind of cast in the book. Now that I think about it again. I still want to do my prank, though.
(DIR) Post #AjjouGbl8WCTrr0ysC by helplessduck@mastodon.online
2024-07-09T00:59:38Z
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@futurebirdPompeii... 🤣Yah, we have a bad fire ant problem here. I don't have much sympathy for them. I remember you mentioning casting nests some time ago. It is a little sad. But, again... THat can't be the deepest they go. Is that what you meant by plaster? @nancylwayne
(DIR) Post #AjjpVolr5BX6XJduoi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T01:06:26Z
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@helplessduck @nancylwayne Fire ants don't dig deep nests, but rather very complex shallow nests. Fire ants will only dig in disturbed soil. They won't deal with hard packed soils or clays. This is why they love the edges of lawns or "aerated" lawns. (when they run that machine that pulls out plugs of soil)By planting perennials and native plants, and increasing shade you can make it impossible for them to nest.
(DIR) Post #AjjpvBAgw1SFFZLwmG by helplessduck@mastodon.online
2024-07-09T01:11:01Z
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@futurebird I knew some of that, but not the loose soil bit or that they really were that shallow. Thanks! Shallow and lazy. LOL This explains why they just love my raised garden beds. @nancylwayne
(DIR) Post #AjjqhdyBAPxqSxbsyO by jannem@fosstodon.org
2024-07-09T01:19:47Z
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@futurebird @helplessduck @nancylwayne What's their natural habitat? Where do they find such conditions in the wild?
(DIR) Post #AjjrsBesrrA9nfAzNQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T01:32:53Z
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@jannem @helplessduck @nancylwayne Solenopsis invicta, the most common fire ant in the US is an invasive species that was brought here in the past half century. They have become "endemic" meaning they are here to stay. In the wild they live on the margins of rain forests, areas that often flood (they can survive floods by making living rafts) areas that have been recently burned. They are an opportunistic "margin creature" and kept down by parasitic flies in their home range.
(DIR) Post #AjjrueXOSz55wjqfRY by TruthSandwich@fedi.truth-sandwich.com
2024-07-09T01:33:19Z
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@futurebird "I felt a great disturbance in the dirt, as if millions of ant voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."
(DIR) Post #AjjsJE6Tsv5VCayh4y by helplessduck@mastodon.online
2024-07-09T01:37:46Z
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@futurebird @jannem @nancylwayne I freakin' love Masto. 🥰
(DIR) Post #AjjvGIE2P36UynnzdI by ambulocetus@qoto.org
2024-07-09T02:10:51Z
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@futurebird @jannem @helplessduck @nancylwayne Has there been any research done on whether importing the parasitic flies would have any unintended consequences?
(DIR) Post #Ajjw5ZgJGHcnt4TxYW by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T02:20:08Z
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@ambulocetus @jannem @helplessduck @nancylwayne Yes, and it has been a minor success-- but not a silver bullet. Probably one of the more responsible attempts at imported pest control since they were able to find a fly that specialized on invicta only.
(DIR) Post #AjjyZpObbGDzDjkrmC by AriadneBlasterbolt@mastodon.social
2024-07-09T02:47:59Z
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@futurebird @jannem @helplessduck @nancylwayne I have 2 large ant mounds in my pasture (horses), but I’m further north (Ohio) than what I’m seeing online for their range. Both nests are built under split rail fencing. They’re rather large mounds and I don’t see discrete entrances. I’ve seen plenty of the ants on the fences and they haven’t been aggressive. Is there an online resource I can use to identify these?
(DIR) Post #Ajjykdq4uOIoYxlGcK by ambulocetus@qoto.org
2024-07-09T02:49:57Z
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@futurebird @jannem I've discovered I have a bit of a green thumb, so I've been learning about native and invasive plants. The thing about invasive species, if you don't know about them, you don't see them, but once you know about them, you see them everywhere. I mean, I already knew about, like for example, Argentine ants, but that's my job so I didn't think about it. But now I'm seeing invasive Honeysuckle, Rosa floribunda, and Phragmites everywhere I go.
(DIR) Post #AjjyuSnIpMwJCi99LE by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-07-09T02:51:44Z
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@AriadneBlasterbolt @jannem @helplessduck @nancylwayne inaturalist is excellent. But if you can get a photo I might be able to help. Fire ants are:* tiny* shiny* dark red/black* make messy nests without a single entrance* will "boil" if you disturb their nestThere are native species of fire ants too.I don't think they've gotten into Ohio much... they don't do well with proper winters where the ground freezes.
(DIR) Post #AjjzOo0oVKP7hJw036 by AriadneBlasterbolt@mastodon.social
2024-07-09T02:57:12Z
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@futurebird I’ll check out inaturalist and will try to get some good photos. These seem too peaceful to be fire ants, but boy would I hate to be wrong. Thank you!
(DIR) Post #AjkDwAuNnQ9JcjjTJA by beisbolcards@mastodon.world
2024-07-09T05:40:03Z
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@futurebird I don't kill ants when they invade, only remove their food sources and they go away on their own.And my cat is powerless against them