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Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degroot org> wrote:
> On 21-6-2016 9:44, Stephen wrote:
> > On 6/20/2016 12:35 PM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> >> On 20-6-2016 10:34, Stephen wrote:
> >
> >>> I have been reading a lot of stories from the pulp era, recently. And if
> >>> you did not plagiarise the idea ;) it would have fitted in perfectly.
> >>> Except for the quality. :)
> >>
> >> It has been a while since I read any of those, and essentially Doc Smith
> >> at that, so the initial idea was entirely 'graphic' and the final one
> >> just happened in my head as a more 'interesting' and darker substitute.
> >>
> >
> > It goes against all the laws. So you had better have a good explanation.
> > :-)
>
> Laws are to be going against for an old anarchist like me. :-)
>
> >
> >>> Simak's "A Heritage of Stars" would have been a good one except your
> >>> combination of head and holder is the only one that would not work. ;-)
> >>
> >> That is right. Now that you mention it: "City" by same, only no
> >> appropriate metal monster there. Jenkins would hardly fit the bill and
> >> the dogs are lovable (not so the ants).
> >>
> >
> > Yes all Simak's robots were benevolent.
> > And well, you've got to give the ants their day in the sun. :)
> > You also have to respect a race, whose god is. "...a human boot kicking
> > over an anthill."
> >
> > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_%28novel%29#The_Coda
>
> Yes, that is a marvellous ending of the cycle indeed.
>
> Talking of ants, I am in the middle of a grim human-against-ants
> campaign. Not sure who is going to win at this stage. My forces have had
> to retreat a couple of yards for lack of ammunition, and major
> regrouping - on both sides - is under way.
>
Assuming you're being literal, I've found a pretty good solution to ant
infestations, if you like oranges.
Grind up the orange peels and scatter them on the ground around the anthill: It
kills off the fungus that the ants feed on.
Regards,
A.D.B.
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On 21-6-2016 17:29, Anthony D. Baye wrote:
> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>> Talking of ants, I am in the middle of a grim human-against-ants
>> campaign. Not sure who is going to win at this stage. My forces have had
>> to retreat a couple of yards for lack of ammunition, and major
>> regrouping - on both sides - is under way.
>>
> Assuming you're being literal, I've found a pretty good solution to ant
> infestations, if you like oranges.
>
> Grind up the orange peels and scatter them on the ground around the anthill: It
> kills off the fungus that the ants feed on.
>
As usual, I was grossly exaggerating but the ants need constant
vigilance in some parts of the garden. Oranges: good idea! Thank you, I
shall add them to the ordnance ;-)
--
Thomas
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> On 21-6-2016 17:29, Anthony D. Baye wrote:
>> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>> Talking of ants, I am in the middle of a grim human-against-ants
>>> campaign. Not sure who is going to win at this stage. My forces have had
>>> to retreat a couple of yards for lack of ammunition, and major
>>> regrouping - on both sides - is under way.
>>>
>> Assuming you're being literal, I've found a pretty good solution to ant
>> infestations, if you like oranges.
>>
>> Grind up the orange peels and scatter them on the ground around the
>> anthill: It
>> kills off the fungus that the ants feed on.
>>
>
> As usual, I was grossly exaggerating but the ants need constant
> vigilance in some parts of the garden. Oranges: good idea! Thank you, I
> shall add them to the ordnance ;-)
>
Give then corn starch. They love it but can't digest it at all and it
end up clogging their digestive thact.
For ants, eating corn starch is like us eating plaster of cement powder
in large quantity, but tastier.
Alain
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On 23-6-2016 6:20, Alain wrote:
>> On 21-6-2016 17:29, Anthony D. Baye wrote:
>>> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>>> Talking of ants, I am in the middle of a grim human-against-ants
>>>> campaign. Not sure who is going to win at this stage. My forces have
>>>> had
>>>> to retreat a couple of yards for lack of ammunition, and major
>>>> regrouping - on both sides - is under way.
>>>>
>>> Assuming you're being literal, I've found a pretty good solution to ant
>>> infestations, if you like oranges.
>>>
>>> Grind up the orange peels and scatter them on the ground around the
>>> anthill: It
>>> kills off the fungus that the ants feed on.
>>>
>>
>> As usual, I was grossly exaggerating but the ants need constant
>> vigilance in some parts of the garden. Oranges: good idea! Thank you, I
>> shall add them to the ordnance ;-)
>>
>
> Give then corn starch. They love it but can't digest it at all and it
> end up clogging their digestive thact.
> For ants, eating corn starch is like us eating plaster of cement powder
> in large quantity, but tastier.
Great! This is becoming nicely grisly. Maybe I should turn this into an
image with metal ants eating/drinking something corrosive. Thanks for
the info!
--
Thomas
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Interesting idea about oranges as a fungicide.
I wonder if the now-nearly-ubiquitous citrus cleaners have the same effect or
are missing some key naturally occurring component.
The corn starch idea is interesting as well - I'd never heard of that.
I think the key though, as mentioned in the Sci Fi story, is to target the
queen. Else all you're doing is racking up a body count of drones without
addressing the root of the problem.
Boric acid has been effective if employed properly. Mix it well with sugar or
flour, or both, and then moisten it. The boric acid will then become chelated
by any vicinal diols (adjacent hydroxyls) in the chemical structure, and be
ingested along with the bait feed. Supposedly this gets brought back to the
nest and fed to the queen, etc.
Ants make their trails to follow with formic acid. Perhaps laying a false trail
using natural formic acid - from ants or nettles or something - would lead them
elsewhere (maybe to your bait). You might also spray something alkaline, and
that might ruin the trails. (baking soda, TSP, etc.)
My grandparents used "whitewash" {assuming it some kind of lime} painted onto
the base of their trees - presumably to keep the bugs off of them.
YMMV
Best of luck battling the Empire of the Ants
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Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
> On 23-6-2016 6:20, Alain wrote:
> >> On 21-6-2016 17:29, Anthony D. Baye wrote:
> >>> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
> >>>> Talking of ants, I am in the middle of a grim human-against-ants
> >>>> campaign. Not sure who is going to win at this stage. My forces have
> >>>> had
> >>>> to retreat a couple of yards for lack of ammunition, and major
> >>>> regrouping - on both sides - is under way.
> >>>>
> >>> Assuming you're being literal, I've found a pretty good solution to ant
> >>> infestations, if you like oranges.
> >>>
> >>> Grind up the orange peels and scatter them on the ground around the
> >>> anthill: It
> >>> kills off the fungus that the ants feed on.
> >>>
> >>
> >> As usual, I was grossly exaggerating but the ants need constant
> >> vigilance in some parts of the garden. Oranges: good idea! Thank you, I
> >> shall add them to the ordnance ;-)
> >>
> >
> > Give then corn starch. They love it but can't digest it at all and it
> > end up clogging their digestive thact.
> > For ants, eating corn starch is like us eating plaster of cement powder
> > in large quantity, but tastier.
>
> Great! This is becoming nicely grisly. Maybe I should turn this into an
> image with metal ants eating/drinking something corrosive. Thanks for
> the info!
>
> --
> Thomas
My solution was more about driving them away than killing them. I'm not a PETA
adherent by any means, unless you translate it as People for the Eating of Tasty
Animals but, at the same time, I hate to cause any living thing to suffer
unnecessarily.
I don't even like to use RAID on spiders.
Which is why I didn't mention the small-grain powder stuff that gets under the
plates of the ants' exoskeleton and locks up their joints and clogs their
breathing aparatus.
Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth. Ant killer you can eat.
Army ants, now. Those I can see killing with extreme prejudice. Regular
ecological nightmare.
Regards,
A.D.B.
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> On 23-6-2016 6:20, Alain wrote:
>>> On 21-6-2016 17:29, Anthony D. Baye wrote:
>>>> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>>>>> Talking of ants, I am in the middle of a grim human-against-ants
>>>>> campaign. Not sure who is going to win at this stage. My forces have
>>>>> had
>>>>> to retreat a couple of yards for lack of ammunition, and major
>>>>> regrouping - on both sides - is under way.
>>>>>
>>>> Assuming you're being literal, I've found a pretty good solution to ant
>>>> infestations, if you like oranges.
>>>>
>>>> Grind up the orange peels and scatter them on the ground around the
>>>> anthill: It
>>>> kills off the fungus that the ants feed on.
>>>>
>>>
>>> As usual, I was grossly exaggerating but the ants need constant
>>> vigilance in some parts of the garden. Oranges: good idea! Thank you, I
>>> shall add them to the ordnance ;-)
>>>
>>
>> Give then corn starch. They love it but can't digest it at all and it
>> end up clogging their digestive thact.
>> For ants, eating corn starch is like us eating plaster of cement powder
>> in large quantity, but tastier.
>
> Great! This is becoming nicely grisly. Maybe I should turn this into an
> image with metal ants eating/drinking something corrosive. Thanks for
> the info!
>
Bronze or copper ants drinking nitric acid, surrounded by a reddish-brow
clous and drippind blue fluids...
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On 23-6-2016 14:29, Bald Eagle wrote:
> Interesting idea about oranges as a fungicide.
> I wonder if the now-nearly-ubiquitous citrus cleaners have the same effect or
> are missing some key naturally occurring component.
>
> The corn starch idea is interesting as well - I'd never heard of that.
>
> I think the key though, as mentioned in the Sci Fi story, is to target the
> queen. Else all you're doing is racking up a body count of drones without
> addressing the root of the problem.
>
> Boric acid has been effective if employed properly. Mix it well with sugar or
> flour, or both, and then moisten it. The boric acid will then become chelated
> by any vicinal diols (adjacent hydroxyls) in the chemical structure, and be
> ingested along with the bait feed. Supposedly this gets brought back to the
> nest and fed to the queen, etc.
>
> Ants make their trails to follow with formic acid. Perhaps laying a false trail
> using natural formic acid - from ants or nettles or something - would lead them
> elsewhere (maybe to your bait). You might also spray something alkaline, and
> that might ruin the trails. (baking soda, TSP, etc.)
>
> My grandparents used "whitewash" {assuming it some kind of lime} painted onto
> the base of their trees - presumably to keep the bugs off of them.
>
> YMMV
> Best of luck battling the Empire of the Ants
>
It is getting the queen that is most desirable but also most difficult
indeed. Oh well, it keeps me off the streets to battle ants nestling
between the stones of my terrace (where they do the most harm,
unsettling the stones) or infesting my tomato plants, otherwise I am one
to let them live their little lives.
I do remember seeing whitewash on tree bases indeed. I don't know how
effective that might be. It may be something like the blue paint around
windows in Mediterranean countries to keep flies from coming in.
I definitely have to make an image now :-)
--
Thomas
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On 6/24/2016 7:55 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
> I do remember seeing whitewash on tree bases indeed. I don't know how
> effective that might be.
You might be remembering a leftover from WWII. In Britain we whitewashed
the bases of trees that were next to roads. It made them more visible to
headlights that were shuttered due to the blackout.
> It may be something like the blue paint around
> windows in Mediterranean countries to keep flies from coming in.
I didn't know that.
--
Regards
Stephen
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On 24-6-2016 9:16, Stephen wrote:
> On 6/24/2016 7:55 AM, Thomas de Groot wrote:
>> I do remember seeing whitewash on tree bases indeed. I don't know how
>> effective that might be.
>
> You might be remembering a leftover from WWII. In Britain we whitewashed
> the bases of trees that were next to roads. It made them more visible to
> headlights that were shuttered due to the blackout.
Yes indeed, now that you mention it. I think that was also done in other
countries. I recall them at least from France.
>
>
>> It may be something like the blue paint around
>> windows in Mediterranean countries to keep flies from coming in.
>
> I didn't know that.
>
I have always wondered about it.
--
Thomas
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