Ant Farmer
Insider Info
For most people, it would be hard to love an ant. That's why ant farmers
are such special people. To feel an affinity for these -- let's face it --
unattractive creatures that bite and invade our homes takes someone truly
attuned to nature. Someone like Christina Kwapich, for example, who is 13.
"Why, you ask, did I take an interest in ants? Because they are wonderful
beautiful complex creatures, in my opinion not lesser beings than ourselves.
This is the point I have been trying to prove for eight years!"
Myrmecologists are people who study ants, which are complex creatures indeed.
Says Melanie Typaldos of Texas, "I have a background in computer science and
in biochemistry, and the combination leads me to some interesting questions
about ant behavior and artificial intelligence."
While more than 4,500 species of ants are known, current worries are that
many more will never be known because of the destruction of the rain forests.
Ants are categorized as social insects because they live in organized colonies.
They are avidly studied for insights into animal behavior and ecology. Along
with bees and termites, ants are important to our ecosystem.
Performing separate functions, they turn the soil, pollinate flowers, and
breakdown dead plants. They can even impact history. "Ants can and do change
the vertical and horizontal distribution of very small artifacts -- they do
the same thing to very small fossils that paleontologists study," said William
Lane-Shields, an Iowa archeologist.
Edward O. Wilson is a famous Harvard entomologist who has devoted much
of his research to the social behavior of ants. Harvard University's Museum
of Natural History devoted an entire exhibition to Wilson's ants a couple
years ago.
Ants have four stages of existence: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The queens
lay the eggs and the males die after mating. The wingless, infertile females
serve as the utility workers, defending the nest, providing food, and raising
the young.
Ants live in female colonies and it is these that are studied through ant
farms. There are many different kinds of ants and colonies. A common species
is the harvester ant, which works in daylight.
Different types of ants, such as leafcutters or those living in trees,
need different types of homes in which to nest. Scientific labs have developed
materials that can be more appropriately used in artificial nests. The setups
can be quite elaborate. Some incorporate such elements as climate control
and corridors that allow the ants to reach their food and water.
Kwapich says, "I have a farm of pogonomyrmex [harvester ants] now. The
container is both disgusting and demeaning to the creatures living inside.
I am working on the completion of a large wall-sized glass, four-sided ant
farm. It's frustrating to have a queen and a dinky plastic ant farm for her
growing colony. The release of winged ants is even more difficult."
Queens can be hard to come by as they are not allowed to be sent through
the mail. Fertilized queens can be recognized by their broken wings. Ants
for your colony can be found outdoors in mounds, near fruit trees, in decaying
trees, and under stones. Watch out for the red ones!
Wilson found the first colonies of ferocious red imported fire ants in
1942 when he was 13. They had been accidentally introduced into the port near
his home in Mobile, Alabama, several years before.
You may not be thrilled to hear what ants eat. Hunting ants eat mealworms,
flies, raw meat, and the larvae and pupae of other ants. In the wild, they
may kill young birds or other small animals. Others grow their own fungus
gardens.
So why do people keep ants? Says Phillip T. Pi, who still likes ants as
an adult, "I enjoyed watching the little critters work and grow [if there
was a queen]. The difficult part is finding the queen ants, keeping the colony
clean, keeping other ant colonies out, and keeping them in a nice room."
Adds Jeremy Edwards, "I would definitely recommend this hobby for anyone
who likes science and insects. It will be a really good experience and who
knows -- you may end up discovering a new species of ant some day."
That's not far off the mark, according to Linda Gilkeson, who works for
the environment department of the government. "Those particularly interested
in entomology as a career may find the field includes jobs as researchers
in a variety of sectors [like forestry and agriculture], as professional practitioners
or as regulatory or advisory staff," she explains.
"In recent years, with reductions in funds for research at universities
and government research stations, finding a research job in entomology has
been quite difficult -- on the other hand, there has been some expansion in
the need for IPM practitioners. And for those with broader interests in environmental
quality and monitoring, [there is] even more potential for jobs."
Entomologists perform important functions. They can teach, solve insect-related
veterinary problems, develop drugs, work with computer software for farmers,
or conduct genetic research.
But don't expect to make a lot of money in entomology. The Entomological
Society of America's survey reported that 10 percent of entomologists make
less than $26,000, and only 25 percent make more than $60,000.
Jeremy Edwards plans to become a professional myrmecologist someday. "Since
I started studying, it became addictive. I just love to watch them scurry
around and go about their daily business."
Getting Started
You can buy an ant farm in many toy departments or through the mail, although
you'll have to order or find the ants separately. Phillip T. Pi (whose nickname
is "Ant") says, "Kids love them! [Buying them] commercially is quicker, but
you have to wait for ants to be ordered. The commercial ones tend to be childish.
Making your own is more complex and tedious."
Ants tend to live only a few months in the commercial farms because there
is no queen involved.
Ant fan Melanie Typaldos doesn't recommend ant farms. "I don't think the
ants live for long and I'm not sure that I agree with the collecting techniques
used for the commercially available ones."
She adds, "However, some people apparently have setups where the ants are
basically 'wild,' but have their nest in a container where it is visible.
That sort of setup would seem to be a good learning environment."
To make the traditional-style ant farm, which looks something like a very
thin aquarium, you need supplies such as wood, acrylic, mesh, glue, and tape,
as well as heavy-duty tools. There are sites on the Internet which show exactly
what you'll need and how to do it.
Associations
Entomological Society of America
9301 Annapolis Rd.
Lanham
,
MD
20706-3115
USA
E-mail
:
esa@entsoc.org
Internet
:
http://www.entsoc.org
Links
Myrmecology
The scientific study of ants
The Antics of Ants!
Links to articles, stories, websites, games, and animation
Interesting Facts About Ants
Lots of links here
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