The Case for Domesticated Ants:
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The Case for Domesticated Ants:
Domesticated bees are useful. They pollinate crops & produce honey. But, what could domesticated ants do?
Ants are stronger than bees & come in a wide range of sizes. They can be kept healthy on an inexpensive a diet of feeder insects & plant sugars. Ants are fastidious & pay attention to details. 1/
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The Case for Domesticated Ants:
Domesticated bees are useful. They pollinate crops & produce honey. But, what could domesticated ants do?
Ants are stronger than bees & come in a wide range of sizes. They can be kept healthy on an inexpensive a diet of feeder insects & plant sugars. Ants are fastidious & pay attention to details. 1/
They would be excellent for agriculture.
Weaver ants are already used for pest control in orchards, farmers place silk cocoons to attract queens & connect branches of adjacent trees to help ants expand their territory.
The weaver ants naturally attack most arthropods that enter the tree.
But what if ants could also help with tasks like controlling unwanted weeds? 2/
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They would be excellent for agriculture.
Weaver ants are already used for pest control in orchards, farmers place silk cocoons to attract queens & connect branches of adjacent trees to help ants expand their territory.
The weaver ants naturally attack most arthropods that enter the tree.
But what if ants could also help with tasks like controlling unwanted weeds? 2/
Some species of ants grow fungus gardens and practice weeding to keep the gardens free of inedible fungi and plants. Ants that live in mutualistic relationships with trees and gourds meticulously trim and kill all unwanted plants that grow near their host plant. Domesticated herbicidal ants could collect seeds from weeds and clip seedlings.
3/
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Some species of ants grow fungus gardens and practice weeding to keep the gardens free of inedible fungi and plants. Ants that live in mutualistic relationships with trees and gourds meticulously trim and kill all unwanted plants that grow near their host plant. Domesticated herbicidal ants could collect seeds from weeds and clip seedlings.
3/
Ants could also be used for pest control in enclosed spaces. Army ants sweep over the forest killing most arthropods in a region. What if they could sweep over your apartment, or restaurant every few weeks and eliminate unwanted guests?
Larger ants could be used for search and rescue. Equipped with small trackers or cameras (The larger ants could wear the cameras) they could sweep over a destabilized building and find missing people.
4/
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Ants could also be used for pest control in enclosed spaces. Army ants sweep over the forest killing most arthropods in a region. What if they could sweep over your apartment, or restaurant every few weeks and eliminate unwanted guests?
Larger ants could be used for search and rescue. Equipped with small trackers or cameras (The larger ants could wear the cameras) they could sweep over a destabilized building and find missing people.
4/
@futurebird
Ants in your house for pest control?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNwmzDlyCt8
Fetch the anteater! -
@futurebird
Ants in your house for pest control?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNwmzDlyCt8
Fetch the anteater!@futurebird
Domestic ants? Dangerous. We all know what we got with cats.But you have Terry Pratchett's computer Hex in the Unseen University laboratories with ant processors (anthill inside) needing more ram skulls. Hex is more powerful than druids stone circles even with updating from sixteen to thirty-two megaliths.
https://discworld.com/products/stickers/sticker-hex-anthill-inside-computer-case-badge/Then Adrian Tchaikovsky's Chidren of Time. It's about spiders, but controled ants is key around the last third of the book.
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@futurebird
Domestic ants? Dangerous. We all know what we got with cats.But you have Terry Pratchett's computer Hex in the Unseen University laboratories with ant processors (anthill inside) needing more ram skulls. Hex is more powerful than druids stone circles even with updating from sixteen to thirty-two megaliths.
https://discworld.com/products/stickers/sticker-hex-anthill-inside-computer-case-badge/Then Adrian Tchaikovsky's Chidren of Time. It's about spiders, but controled ants is key around the last third of the book.
#picaTheCat wants you to *explain* exactly what you mean by “we all know what we got with cats”
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J jwcph@helvede.net shared this topic
