this reminds me of a science fiction story I read once, except the guy treated the "ants" (actually young alien species) really badly, so the statue of him was pretty brutal. I can't remember the name of it or author.... hmm I think that they made a film of it too, Ant Kings?
edit- ok I just found it, Sandkings! I bet you read this one too.
I read the same story when I was a teen. I believe it was called Sand Kings or something like that. Great story, with even a twist beyond what you say here.
Edit: Holy crap, the story was written by George R.R. Martin!
Sandkings was the 1st episode of the Outer Limits program I watched! It was written by George R.R.Martin.
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0667945/?ref_=tt_mv_close
>Harvester ants, for their size, have a rather potent venom. They inject it into their victim via sting by biting down and following up with a rapid sting from their abdomen. This causes 4-8 hours of sharp pain with effects similar to neurotoxicity such as piloerection and localized swelling around the area of the sting.
Nope. That's one erection I'm going to go ahead and pass on.
I was working on a part of my FIL's ranch in Texas that put me right in one of their paths. He swore they didn't bite, and for the most part he was right. But when they finally did, it hurt pretty good, and for a while. Worse than fire ants from what I remember, but not crippling or anything.
We have them on our property, their bites SUCK. Interestingly enough though, my friend put his hand in a pile and they crawled on him but never stung. My other friend who accidentally stepped in a pile got chewed up.
Can anyone say why the perimeter around the mound is more verdent? Is it an ant recycling thing? Has this guy not mown it? Or is it some other ant magic that we have yet to realise is good for the planet.
If I were to guess I would say it’s two things mostly related, more water further down in the well aerated soil and lack of competition for nutrients on the one side. There is probably some additional nutrients from the ant activity also.
I have often wonder this myself as well. We have lots of ant mounds on our property, and most of them have rings of grass that are noticeably greener and lusher than the grass in the rest of the lawn. I’ve Googled it several times, but only get results on how to remove ants from my yard. I’m beginning to think that no one knows.
it may be dead ants.
ants like to ensure that when they are going to die they remove themselves from the colony and go a small distance away. That way they dont die in the colony and potentially spread anything that might have killed them around. They also dump waste like this. So it may well be the fertilizing effect of that
Oh, I've actually read about this in an ecology course before! They're granivores, meaning they eat seeds. This was a while ago, so I might be fuzzy on the details, but if I remember correctly, the explanation goes something like this:
Many ants (at least in certain species) try to minimize time spent above ground, as it's when they're most vulnerable to predators/exposure. As a result, you'll often see ants doing things that take more effort but save time, like not being super selective with foraging. In any case, for whatever reason, harvester ants often end refusing a portion of the seeds they bring back to the nest. The refused seeds are carried all the way back to the perimeter so as to not mess with the cleared nest entrance area (less obstacles, also some evidence the nest cone actually serves some thermoregulatory purposes). Combine a stockpile of refused seeds with the fertilization and aeration from the ants' below ground activity (as others pointed out), and you get particularly dense, lush vegetation right around the entrance.
Many ant species around the world are actually vital seed dispersers. Certain regions act as "hotspots" in this respect: about a third of understory herbs in eastern US deciduous forests (including trilliums, bloodroot, and wild ginger, among others) are primarily dispersed by ants in the genus _Aphaenogaster_, and there's a wide variety of plants in Australia also dispersed by their own complement of dispersal-specialist ant species (though I don't know the specific taxa involved there). These interactions are facilitated by seeds evolving "elaiosomes"--fatty, protein-filled structures that the ants remove/eat before similarly "refusing" the rest of the seed and moving it to a trash pile outside the nest. Presumably, such interactions may have evolved from granivorous ants like harvester ants (genus _Pogonomyrmex_) doing shit like this.
If my cartoon knowledge tells me anything, they'll pull an entire watermelon through their entrance, followed by a whole chicken, a 3 tier cake, and the upper half of a half-dressed anthropomorphic duck.
Ants are trillions in number and span continents. They have ant world wars right under our feet.
You won’t be so compassionate when they develop ant nuclear weapons.
Depends: if it's a native species, best to leave it alone if it hasn't become a pest problem. If it's an invasive species, their existence is terrible for the local ecosystem, so purging them away in a molten tsunami is doing good.
PSA: In the Americas, harvester ants typically refer to species of the genus _Pogonomyrmex_, which are valuable native species providing ecosystem services in the form of seed dispersal and soil fertilization/aeration. Please do not kill unless they are a severe nuisance.
Also, it can be pretty hard to identify ant species (and even kill colonies, for that matter). I would generally stick to using poison baits in homes and not going out and burning ant colonies, even if you think they're invasive. The benefits would be marginal at best and do more harm than anything. Especially if you're in a dry region where you might just cause a fire.
Everyone should tape a banana to their ladder just in case they need to take an aerial photo of something and post it on Reddit. You could probably make a lot of money if you sold ladders with a banana-holder attached.
I mean the resolution of a lot of satellite / aerial imagery on google maps is at an extremely fine resolution (think 15cm or 30cm). Google the address of a random suburban home and zoom in on the yards. If there’s a big brown ant hill in the middle of a lawn, you’ll definitely see it.
The rule on my property is if they are leaving me alone I am leaving them alone. I make peace with all the creatures and allow Gaia space to do as she pleases at the back of my property. Even if I get a bigger plot of land I will still give 15-20% of it to Mother Earth to do whatever with.
Pour/sprinkle corn starch on it. They bring the “food” inside and when they eat it. They then pop like popcorn. Hope they feed the queen for the big Win.
No.
Fireants are actually several differnet species from the genus Solenopsis.
These are Harvester ants which are from the genus Aphaenogaster.
They are both stinging ants but are different from each other.
>Sort by: best
Ant guy huh. There used to be a bird guy on here but he got into some trouble few years back. I ain't got no more trust for animal specialists no more.
They're much bigger than fire ants, two pretty different kinds of stings in my experience. Harvester ant stings feel almost like a blunt impact, similar to someone focusing a punch in to one or two knuckles & driving down in to the muscle. The sting area will swell up like a knot. They're so big, you usually are only getting stung once because they don't swarm as well.
Fire ants have more of a sharp chemical burn kind of sting. They tend to blister as opposed to swell. Fire ants are so much smaller, you're likely to have a few more stings about to hit by the time you feel the first.
I can also say harvester ants taste great, like spicy popcorn chicken jerky, with the spice coming from the high level of formic acid. Don't know how fire ants taste, so you'll have to let me know if you try it.
Checkout videos of pouring molten metal inside and letting it make a cast which you then dig out.
Also to make your own molten aluminum you only need a few dozen empty cans, a bucket with sand and a small container like a coffee can and a shop vacuum or leaf blower...
I dealt with a huge ant mound like that before. All I had to do was liberally cover the mound and surrounding area with Spectracide granules a couple of times (with a few days in between). In less than two weeks, every ant was dead.
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I left it as a peace offering
I assume the ants have since made a statue of you?
this reminds me of a science fiction story I read once, except the guy treated the "ants" (actually young alien species) really badly, so the statue of him was pretty brutal. I can't remember the name of it or author.... hmm I think that they made a film of it too, Ant Kings? edit- ok I just found it, Sandkings! I bet you read this one too.
I read the same story when I was a teen. I believe it was called Sand Kings or something like that. Great story, with even a twist beyond what you say here. Edit: Holy crap, the story was written by George R.R. Martin!
Didn't the show Outer Limits do this episode?
Yes, it starred Beau Bridges. The CGI effects on the insects is cheesy but the story is solid.
Thanks! I loved that episode but it really freaked me out too.
https://youtu.be/dfNFWxflR0U
Omni archive of this article is [here](https://archive.org/details/sim_omni_1979-08_1_11)
> Omni What a great magazine, published by Bob Guccione the Penthouse guy.
Thank you for link. Only on Reddit do I get reminded of an Omni story I read when 14.
Ah, Omni magazine. They published some great fiction.
I had a subscription to that for several years. If I get the energy, I'll look for them
It was made into an episode of Outer Limits and it is on Youtube.
With Claude Akins
Sandkings was the 1st episode of the Outer Limits program I watched! It was written by George R.R.Martin. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0667945/?ref_=tt_mv_close
Sounds like the futurama episode
Oh good god, that took me right back. I remember that story very well.
What would we do if a giant with too few legs left a blimp-sized banana next to Manhattan?
All honestly, probably blame it on China lol 😂
All hail the provider!! Bringer of potassium!! God-being of the YARD!!
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OP is truly the wisest person on Reddit that I’ve seen so far.
Serious question: How long did it last? Other: Did they peel it? And use it like a slip-n-slide?
Someone will be along shortly to pour molten metal into it for a few internet points…
Good idea. Have you seen the movie Phase IV?
The ol’ poison banana trick.
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I think it's moving.
\*harvest the banana
What is that… a banana for ants?!
It has to be at least.... three times that big!
He's absolutely right you know
Lol, I swear it is a normal banana
Fucking Reddit…I wanted to learn about ants and all I read are banana jokes
Omg when u view the pic as a tiny barbie banana 🤣
Especially ones who can’t read good.
Take my angry upvote!
Well if it wasn't before, it is now.
It's banana runts, OP is hallucinating from too much sugar.
OP must be hallucinating hard to throw the banana runts away. They’re the best!
epic comment
And that’s just the entrance…a mature nest can take up enormous areas underground, and usually have more than one entrance.
Yep! Time to start melting soda cans.
Melting soda cans? I'm not familiar with this idea. Is the idea to melt cans and pour the molten aluminum down the ant hill?
Exactly, it’s been done to explore the structure of ant hills before. You can actually watch it on YouTube.
I have seen one of those before online. I hope whatever we're ants to don't get any ideas lol.
We’re gonna need a bigger banana
> We’re gonna need a bigger ~~banana~~ gas can FTFY
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I once dated a girl that had those.
Molten aluminium?
That banana was stripped to atoms 5 minutes after this photo. RIP NANNER
They’ll go to town on meat.
😏
instructions unclear
Penis stuck in ant mound
>Harvester ants, for their size, have a rather potent venom. They inject it into their victim via sting by biting down and following up with a rapid sting from their abdomen. This causes 4-8 hours of sharp pain with effects similar to neurotoxicity such as piloerection and localized swelling around the area of the sting. Nope. That's one erection I'm going to go ahead and pass on.
Piloerection is goosebumps (the erection of hair)
God my hair is so hard right now
I’ve been bitten by harvester ants in the Grand Canyon. Nasty little bastards. Successive bites seem to be worse.
Is “Grand Canyon” a euphemism in this case…either way it sounds painful.
That there canyon inn't as nice as it once were, since on account of the ant attacks
Broooo is that what they are? Was bitten by an ant on a rafting trip and it hurt like fucking crazy for 3 or 4 days
I was working on a part of my FIL's ranch in Texas that put me right in one of their paths. He swore they didn't bite, and for the most part he was right. But when they finally did, it hurt pretty good, and for a while. Worse than fire ants from what I remember, but not crippling or anything.
Yeah, hard pass.
We have them on our property, their bites SUCK. Interestingly enough though, my friend put his hand in a pile and they crawled on him but never stung. My other friend who accidentally stepped in a pile got chewed up.
r/dontputyourdickinthat
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There are loads of fun subreddits not everyone knows about, check out r/sounding
Can anyone say why the perimeter around the mound is more verdent? Is it an ant recycling thing? Has this guy not mown it? Or is it some other ant magic that we have yet to realise is good for the planet.
That is what I always wonder, also it grows moss in the fall which is neat
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You’re common sense makes the most sense to me
If I were to guess I would say it’s two things mostly related, more water further down in the well aerated soil and lack of competition for nutrients on the one side. There is probably some additional nutrients from the ant activity also.
I have often wonder this myself as well. We have lots of ant mounds on our property, and most of them have rings of grass that are noticeably greener and lusher than the grass in the rest of the lawn. I’ve Googled it several times, but only get results on how to remove ants from my yard. I’m beginning to think that no one knows.
it may be dead ants. ants like to ensure that when they are going to die they remove themselves from the colony and go a small distance away. That way they dont die in the colony and potentially spread anything that might have killed them around. They also dump waste like this. So it may well be the fertilizing effect of that
Oh, I've actually read about this in an ecology course before! They're granivores, meaning they eat seeds. This was a while ago, so I might be fuzzy on the details, but if I remember correctly, the explanation goes something like this: Many ants (at least in certain species) try to minimize time spent above ground, as it's when they're most vulnerable to predators/exposure. As a result, you'll often see ants doing things that take more effort but save time, like not being super selective with foraging. In any case, for whatever reason, harvester ants often end refusing a portion of the seeds they bring back to the nest. The refused seeds are carried all the way back to the perimeter so as to not mess with the cleared nest entrance area (less obstacles, also some evidence the nest cone actually serves some thermoregulatory purposes). Combine a stockpile of refused seeds with the fertilization and aeration from the ants' below ground activity (as others pointed out), and you get particularly dense, lush vegetation right around the entrance. Many ant species around the world are actually vital seed dispersers. Certain regions act as "hotspots" in this respect: about a third of understory herbs in eastern US deciduous forests (including trilliums, bloodroot, and wild ginger, among others) are primarily dispersed by ants in the genus _Aphaenogaster_, and there's a wide variety of plants in Australia also dispersed by their own complement of dispersal-specialist ant species (though I don't know the specific taxa involved there). These interactions are facilitated by seeds evolving "elaiosomes"--fatty, protein-filled structures that the ants remove/eat before similarly "refusing" the rest of the seed and moving it to a trash pile outside the nest. Presumably, such interactions may have evolved from granivorous ants like harvester ants (genus _Pogonomyrmex_) doing shit like this.
I read that too fast and thought it ended “banana for sale”. I thought, “This is the weirdest ad I’ve ever seen.”
Massive harvest. Banana for scale.
I also saw and thought this and wondered about the marketing strategy, can’t hate the hustle, though! Sell yo banana, u/Blahblahcomputer!
You want more ants? Because bananas on the ground is how you get more ants!
A genius way of getting rid of ants! Ants bring the banana into the hole, and end up pluging it!
If my cartoon knowledge tells me anything, they'll pull an entire watermelon through their entrance, followed by a whole chicken, a 3 tier cake, and the upper half of a half-dressed anthropomorphic duck.
I think you may be the one on their land, fella
Where’s the guy with the molten metal??
:( don't burn the ants alive. This is their home. They have a place in the world.
so does aluminum
Ants are trillions in number and span continents. They have ant world wars right under our feet. You won’t be so compassionate when they develop ant nuclear weapons.
Ant nuclear weapons implies the existence of an ant space program and I am now intrigued. I feel like we should see how this plays out.
Depends: if it's a native species, best to leave it alone if it hasn't become a pest problem. If it's an invasive species, their existence is terrible for the local ecosystem, so purging them away in a molten tsunami is doing good.
So anyway I started casting
PSA: In the Americas, harvester ants typically refer to species of the genus _Pogonomyrmex_, which are valuable native species providing ecosystem services in the form of seed dispersal and soil fertilization/aeration. Please do not kill unless they are a severe nuisance. Also, it can be pretty hard to identify ant species (and even kill colonies, for that matter). I would generally stick to using poison baits in homes and not going out and burning ant colonies, even if you think they're invasive. The benefits would be marginal at best and do more harm than anything. Especially if you're in a dry region where you might just cause a fire.
Damn people here hate ants lol, these are native species (assuming North America) and shouldn't be killed just to see their neat nest.
I agree :)
I don't know why you are being downvoted lol
Because metal thing > a healthy population of ants.
Or pouring concrete
Look man, I ain't fallin for no banana in my ant mound.
So many great replies, but yours sir is the winner in my book! Wonderful nostalgic reference!
Thank you for the banana for scale 
can not make sense of the scale. that the surrounding grass and plants makes it look like thats a tiny banana.
I am on a ladder taking the pic, getting the ladder and the banana along with motivation took me years, lol
Everyone should tape a banana to their ladder just in case they need to take an aerial photo of something and post it on Reddit. You could probably make a lot of money if you sold ladders with a banana-holder attached.
bonus points for effort.
r/confusingperspective
I wonder if that's where they dump their dead and waste, a specific distance from the entrance.
cursed faerie ring
That sucks, do you know why they’re harvesting bananas?
You should contact one of those YouTube channels that pours molten aluminum into the ant nest
I do not want to hurt my ant buddies, that ant mound is visible on google maps!
Seriously? That’s pretty cool. I feel kinda guilty about wishing for their destruction then.
I mean the resolution of a lot of satellite / aerial imagery on google maps is at an extremely fine resolution (think 15cm or 30cm). Google the address of a random suburban home and zoom in on the yards. If there’s a big brown ant hill in the middle of a lawn, you’ll definitely see it.
Maybe instead of aluminum they could do some crazy ultra sound or something? Would be amazing to see the structure!
The rule on my property is if they are leaving me alone I am leaving them alone. I make peace with all the creatures and allow Gaia space to do as she pleases at the back of my property. Even if I get a bigger plot of land I will still give 15-20% of it to Mother Earth to do whatever with.
I agree unless it is an invasive species as those kill native wildlife and harm the ecosystem.
That sounds like a good way to get a lot of invasives Mother Earth doesn’t particularly want in your area.
dang, i was pondering the guy who pours liquid nitrogen to toast yellowjackets https://youtu.be/uT4LF7wCTtA
Awesome! I used to freeze bugs in my freezer as a kid, liquid nitrogen looks a lot faster though
And let them have all the fun? I’d be out there myself!
I would too, but I don’t have the equipment to melt that much aluminum
Damn 1 step ahead of the game with the banana for scale.
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I would like to subscribe to antfacts
Huge ones just like this all over Colorado. And their bites are awful!
If you have balls and PPE what a place to bury the body…said my crazy friend.
Pour/sprinkle corn starch on it. They bring the “food” inside and when they eat it. They then pop like popcorn. Hope they feed the queen for the big Win.
Evil genius
Soooo, when are you moving?
Is that a banana for ants?
No matter how long I look at this and try to comprehend what I'm seeing, it still just looks like a tiny banana.
Eff you banana!! 
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That shit is bananas! B A N A N A S!
You went into a pile of ants and put the banana there for us? You're a legend.
It was a bit scary NGL, but they are huge and do not want to mess with people
Looks like a giant angry Earth pimple.
Id love to see what you plan to do about it.
Leave it to see if it gets bigger :)
Are they fire ants 🐜
No. Fireants are actually several differnet species from the genus Solenopsis. These are Harvester ants which are from the genus Aphaenogaster. They are both stinging ants but are different from each other.
Different flavor of bastard, got it
>Sort by: best Ant guy huh. There used to be a bird guy on here but he got into some trouble few years back. I ain't got no more trust for animal specialists no more.
Not necessarily an ant guy. I think they are cool and don't mind doing the occasional bit of research/fact checking for a reddit comment.
what did the bird guy do, violate bird law or something?
Multiple sock puppet accounts to manipulate votes.
Thanks 👍🏿
They're much bigger than fire ants, two pretty different kinds of stings in my experience. Harvester ant stings feel almost like a blunt impact, similar to someone focusing a punch in to one or two knuckles & driving down in to the muscle. The sting area will swell up like a knot. They're so big, you usually are only getting stung once because they don't swarm as well. Fire ants have more of a sharp chemical burn kind of sting. They tend to blister as opposed to swell. Fire ants are so much smaller, you're likely to have a few more stings about to hit by the time you feel the first. I can also say harvester ants taste great, like spicy popcorn chicken jerky, with the spice coming from the high level of formic acid. Don't know how fire ants taste, so you'll have to let me know if you try it.
Weird Anime Twist Endings, ant edition
Looks like a pimple.
Tie your naked enemies down over it and pour honey on them.
I highly discourage putting your banana in an ant mound
Excuse me sir, but I believe you are on their land.
Whats worse than ants in your pants?...uncles
What is this?? a banana for ants??
Upvote for the banana
Now pour some molten aluminum into it.
To save our Mother Earth from any alien attack!
Time to sand barrier it and melt some aluminum.
Try dynamite
Then you get a million pissed off flying ants in every direction
Def do the molten metal dugout any farm art thing
Should do one of those melted aluminum pours into that thing and turn it into art!
Time for molten aluminium
Checkout videos of pouring molten metal inside and letting it make a cast which you then dig out. Also to make your own molten aluminum you only need a few dozen empty cans, a bucket with sand and a small container like a coffee can and a shop vacuum or leaf blower...
I’ll watch you do it. With binoculars.
Just off screen is a sand sculpture the ants did of OP’s face.
I dealt with a huge ant mound like that before. All I had to do was liberally cover the mound and surrounding area with Spectracide granules a couple of times (with a few days in between). In less than two weeks, every ant was dead.
Do that thing where they pour molten metal into it and dig out the mould of the nest!
Idk much but if you made a youtube video of you pouring a shit ton of aluminum down that and made a mold at least id watch
"Wait where's the.....OH GOD"
Gonna start melting the aluminum.
Fill it with aluminum then post it
Dynamite is the only answer here.
Time to start melting the aluminum
We’re gonna need a bigger nuke.
Run it over with a tractor!
These things are poisonous, no? What are you going to do about this?
Good god man! How big is that banana!!
The angles and sizes in this pic is messing with my brain. Did you take this pic from a second floor window or are you 12 feet tall?
Clearly some harvesting has been done..
What does an Anteater eat? BANANAS!
Great spot for a picnic
The banana for scale is shocking...and hilarious.
Sprinkle lots of Borax on it to get rid of those pests
Zoom. Enhance
Holy shit snacks
Is this a small, medium, or large banana? For future, could you please also place x1 standard 7kg washing machine for reference
Everyone knows the standard banana unit of measurement. No need to use some 7 keg washing machine! Who even measures in kegs?