16 replies to this topic

[DerkaDoesGaming]

Hey guys! 

 

I am sure some or most of you guys know that The Colonialist has a Petition to ban Gel Farms from the UK.

Well I felt like I needed to do the same on our end.

 

So if you live in the United States or Know Someone who does. 

 

Have them go to this site  and Sign it!

 

If we get 100 it will be on the recommended section on Change.org.

 

Please guys lets get this done! 

 

 

Thanks again,

 

Formicast out.

[TennesseeAnts]

I don't believe gel farms should be banned. They provide young people with the insight needed to develop a serious interest in the world of ants. While the argument may have a few valid points, they aren't enough to get gel farms banned. In the end, they're just ants.

Edited by TennesseeAnts, July 7 2021 - 4:21 PM.

[Arthroverts]

I am not sure if the USDA has the authority to ban gel farms; most of what they enforce is by Congressional ruling, no?

If you could get a much larger organization like PETA to get on board, then something might happen, though I fear PETA as an organization does not seem to care about things that do not evoke as much sympathy as small mammals.

 

Thanks,

 

Arthroverts

[Skwiggledork]

Arthroverts, on 08 Jul 2021 - 12:39 AM, said:

I am not sure if the USDA has the authority to ban gel farms; most of what they enforce is by Congressional ruling, no?

If you could get a much larger organization like PETA to get on board, then something might happen, though I fear PETA as an organization does not seem to care about things that do not evoke as much sympathy as small mammals.

 

Thanks,

 

Arthroverts

Signed, but like most if not all petitions on Change.org it'll go nowhere no matter how many sign. I hope Peta stays out of this though because they are only in it for money and kill many many more animals then they save.
 

[Manitobant]

Skwiggledork, on 08 Jul 2021 - 01:23 AM, said:

Arthroverts, on 08 Jul 2021 - 12:39 AM, said:

I am not sure if the USDA has the authority to ban gel farms; most of what they enforce is by Congressional ruling, no?
If you could get a much larger organization like PETA to get on board, then something might happen, though I fear PETA as an organization does not seem to care about things that do not evoke as much sympathy as small mammals.
 
Thanks,
 
Arthroverts

Signed, but like most if not all petitions on Change.org it'll go nowhere no matter how many sign. I hope Peta stays out of this though because they are only in it for money and kill many many more animals then they save.

if peta gets in on this, our entire hobby is potentially in danger.

[Manitobant]

Arthroverts, on 08 Jul 2021 - 12:39 AM, said:

I am not sure if the USDA has the authority to ban gel farms; most of what they enforce is by Congressional ruling, no?
If you could get a much larger organization like PETA to get on board, then something might happen, though I fear PETA as an organization does not seem to care about things that do not evoke as much sympathy as small mammals.
 
Thanks,
 
Arthroverts

peta would probably bash antkeeping as a whole, not just gel farms. I really hope they don’t get involved.

[TennesseeAnts]

Luckily PETA can't actually do anything as far as I'm aware. I think we're safe.

[NickAnter]

Yes, things like this can prove detrimental. Consider it a slippery slope: give government an inch, and they'll take a mile.

 

We DON'T want this to happen to our hobby. Government loves controlling things, no matter how small, and this could just be another thing to add to that micro-managerial list of theirs.

 

EDIT: The above statements are a general thing: a small petition on gel farms isn't going to cause the issues listed above.

Edited by NickAnter, July 7 2021 - 7:01 PM.

[Spazmops]

Arthroverts, on 08 Jul 2021 - 12:39 AM, said:

I am not sure if the USDA has the authority to ban gel farms; most of what they enforce is by Congressional ruling, no?

If you could get a much larger organization like PETA to get on board, then something might happen, though I fear PETA as an organization does not seem to care about things that do not evoke as much sympathy as small mammals.

 

Thanks,

 

Arthroverts

Seeing as regulating antkeeping doesn't involve financially backing arsonists or mentally scarring young children, I doubt PETA would have much interest. 

[Spazmops]

NickAnter, on 08 Jul 2021 - 02:16 AM, said:

Yes, things like this can prove detrimental. Consider it a slippery slope: give government an inch, and they'll take a mile.

 

We DON'T want this to happen to our hobby. Government loves controlling things, no matter how small, and this could just be another thing to add to that micro-managerial list of theirs.

I highly doubt the government would have much interest and/or is out to get antkeepers. After all, P. occidentalis were federally deregulated, which is very beneficial to people interested in this hobby.

[JamesJohnson]

It will never happen (Change.org petitions do absolutely nothing) and honestly shouldn’t considering how small of a problem it is and the risk of the ant keeping hobby being affected by it. If you want people to not use gel ant farms, tell them why they shouldn’t.

[NickAnter]

Well its not that the bureaucrats would be out to "get us" but they could very well, like I said, decide its something to regulate.

[TestSubjectOne]

Spazmops, on 08 Jul 2021 - 02:33 AM, said:

 

NickAnter, on 08 Jul 2021 - 02:16 AM, said:

Yes, things like this can prove detrimental. Consider it a slippery slope: give government an inch, and they'll take a mile.

 

We DON'T want this to happen to our hobby. Government loves controlling things, no matter how small, and this could just be another thing to add to that micro-managerial list of theirs.

I highly doubt the government would have much interest and/or is out to get antkeepers. After all, P. occidentalis were federally deregulated, which is very beneficial to people interested in this hobby.

 

I believe that Camponotus pennsylvanicus has been similarly deregulated recently, so I definitely don't think that the Government has any desire to overregulate the antkeeping hobby - if anything, they seem to be taking the path of rethinking their heavyhanded ban on transporting all ants across state lines, and trying to instead only target species that pose a threat of becoming invasive. Nevertheless, I think the idea that there should be a ban on gel ant farms is absurd. Unless you want parents to buy their children formicaria and learn detailed ant care just to house a couple dozen workers, or think that children should instead (try to) rear full colonies, then banning gel farms and similar toy ant habitats will end the mainstream exposure of keeping ants. I think that it is valuable that children can get to experience to some degree the beauty of an ant colony, both as part of a general natural education and because it starts many on the path to becoming antkeepers themselves. And this is all disregarding the fact that there is no change of getting this law passed, as the vast majority of people have no interest in the animal rights of insects - as it should be, because they are far less intelligent and complex than any mammal. Yes, a gel farm is not a suitable habitat for a colony, and eventually the handful of ants in it will die, but as TennesseeAnts said, they are just ants and the cost is well worth it.

[TennesseeAnts]

Do you have a link to where it says C. pennsylvanicus has been deregulated? I can't find the original list of deregulated plant pests on their website anymore. 

[TestSubjectOne]

On the front page of Tarheelants they have a slide saying that they can now ship Camponotus pennsylvanicus to most of the U.S., and a link to where they're selling (overpriced, in my opinion) colonies of the species. I've not done any further research, but I doubt that they would be willing to sell C. pennsylvanicus on their front page if it was being done illegally.

[UtahAnts]

I believe THA obtained permits to sell all the listed species on it's site. The only federally deregulated species, which you don't need to a permit to ship, as of now is Pogonomyrmex occidentalis.

[TestSubjectOne]

Ah, my bad then. That was how I learn of Pogonomymex occidentalis, so I assumed that this was a similar situation.