21 replies to this topic

[GeorgeK]

As the title says, i'd like to make topic where everyone should feel free to share any ant myths he knows/has heard about.

As such, it is somewhat popular myth in Serbia, that if you think you have diabetes, but don't want to go to doctor you pee near ants, and if ants swarm you pee, you can be sure you have diabetes.

[Barristan]

Number one myth in Germany:

Backing soda helps getting rid of ants.

Related to the first one:

Ants will explode after eating backing soda

Edited by Barristan, June 18 2018 - 12:14 AM.

[Phoenix]

The most common misconception here is that ants will eat anything, I mean sure, ants such as Trichomyrmex destructor and Solenopsis geminata will ravage everything but come on.

[gcsnelling]

Here in the states, it is corn meal that makes them explode.The only thing s I have ever found which will make them explode are products with a gun powder component.

Edited by gcsnelling, June 18 2018 - 2:22 AM.

[AntNoob]

ants are dirty creatures and you might die if you touch them from disease

[Serafine]

Number one myth in Germany:

Backing soda helps getting rid of ants.

Related to the first one:

Ants will explode after eating backing soda

 

The misconception here is that it's actually bicarbonate (Natron) that kills the ants by wrecking their pH balance - but there is no bicarbonate in most modern baking soda mixtures.
So this is a thing that may have worked in the past but doesn't work today due to "technological advancements" in baking soda production.
 

 

As such, it is somewhat popular myth in Serbia, that if you think you have diabetes, but don't want to go to doctor you pee near ants, and if ants swarm you pee, you can be sure you have diabetes.

This myth actually has a true part in it. People with Diabetes do in fact often have sugars in their urin (detecting this is actually how diabates prevention tests work) HOWEVER you'd have to drink something like 2 liters of Coke to gain a noticeable concentration and most likely the ants will still be repelled by the ammonia components.

Edited by Serafine, June 18 2018 - 4:09 AM.

[Barristan]

 

Number one myth in Germany:

Backing soda helps getting rid of ants.

Related to the first one:

Ants will explode after eating backing soda

 

The misconception here is that it's actually bicarbonate (Natron) that kills the ants by wrecking their pH balance - but there is no bicarbonate in most modern baking soda mixtures.
So this is a thing that may have worked in the past but doesn't work today due to "technological advancements" in baking soda production.

 

I know the paper in which they tested it, calculate the height of the bicarbonate in the test container then you'll see that they basically drowned the ants in Natron, The question is did they die because of the Natron or because fine powder clocked up their trachea? They also did not make a comparison with other powder like talcum or flour. As far as I know they also only speculated that Natron would wreck up the pH balance since they did not have any proof for that hypothesis. 

 

If I cover ants completely with powder they will probably die after some time regardless of the substance I used.

[Straywolf94]

 

Number one myth in Germany:

Backing soda helps getting rid of ants.

Related to the first one:

Ants will explode after eating backing soda

 

The misconception here is that it's actually bicarbonate (Natron) that kills the ants by wrecking their pH balance - but there is no bicarbonate in most modern baking soda mixtures.
So this is a thing that may have worked in the past but doesn't work today due to "technological advancements" in baking soda production.
 

 

As such, it is somewhat popular myth in Serbia, that if you think you have diabetes, but don't want to go to doctor you pee near ants, and if ants swarm you pee, you can be sure you have diabetes.

This myth actually has a true part in it. People with Diabetes do in fact often have sugars in their urin (detecting this is actually how diabates prevention tests work) HOWEVER you'd have to drink something like 2 liters of Coke to gain a noticeable concentration and most likely the ants will still be repelled by the ammonia components.

 

 

Umm... baking soda = sodium bicarbonate = Natron.   There have not been any technical innovations in this chemical in the last 5500 years?  

Edited by Straywolf94, June 18 2018 - 10:47 AM.

[Barristan]

I just googled the paper about bicarbonate and I was wrong the amount of bicarbonate was quite low per area: http://www.bioone.or...MOAHFP]2.0.CO;2

[DaveJay]

Number one myth in Germany:

Backing soda helps getting rid of ants.

Related to the first one:

Ants will explode after eating backing soda

The misconception here is that it's actually bicarbonate (Natron) that kills the ants by wrecking their pH balance - but there is no bicarbonate in most modern baking soda mixtures.
So this is a thing that may have worked in the past but doesn't work today due to "technological advancements" in baking soda production.

As such, it is somewhat popular myth in Serbia, that if you think you have diabetes, but don't want to go to doctor you pee near ants, and if ants swarm you pee, you can be sure you have diabetes.

This myth actually has a true part in it. People with Diabetes do in fact often have sugars in their urin (detecting this is actually how diabates prevention tests work) HOWEVER you'd have to drink something like 2 liters of Coke to gain a noticeable concentration and most likely the ants will still be repelled by the ammonia components.

Umm... baking soda = sodium bicarbonate = Natron. There have not been any technical innovations in this chemical in the last 5500 years?

I was thinking the same thing about the baking soda and thought he was confusing it with baking powder, something that happens often on fish keeping groups and forums but a quick Google tells me Natron is a naturally occurring mix of salts. It's only 17% sodium bicarbonate but it's not baking powder. Being a mix of sodium compounds it is also known as baking soda apparently which is understandable really, not that I'd heard of it before.
He's still confusing it with baking powder though, I don't think there's been advances in a naturally occurring substance.

[DaveJay]

I'm watching Tarzan and Samuel Jackson is stitching Tarzans' wounds by getting an ant to bite through both sides of the wound, closing it, then cutting the body off leaving the head holding the wound closed like a staple or stitch so that Tarzan has a row of ant heads in place of stitches.
Who here has tried this?

[FSTP]

I'm watching Tarzan and Samuel Jackson is stitching Tarzans' wounds by getting an ant to bite through both sides of the wound, closing it, then cutting the body off leaving the head holding the wound closed like a staple or stitch so that Tarzan has a row of ant heads in place of stitches.
Who here has tried this?

I haven't but there was a survival show on the Science channel here in the US were they tried it for real. A guy took a knife and cut his arm then they tried to suture it with ant heads. I think it as some kind of Ecitoninae. It didn't seem to work that well.

Edited by FSTP, November 24 2018 - 4:21 AM.

[DaveJay]

I'm watching Tarzan and Samuel Jackson is stitching Tarzans' wounds by getting an ant to bite through both sides of the wound, closing it, then cutting the body off leaving the head holding the wound closed like a staple or stitch so that Tarzan has a row of ant heads in place of stitches.
Who here has tried this?

I haven't but there was a survival show on the Science channel here in the US were they tried it for real. A guy took a knife and cut his arm then they tried to suture it with ant heads. I think it as some kind of Ecitoninae. It didn't seem to work that well.

I wouldn't think so! Especially if later you're swinging through trees, fighting, riding stampeding wilderbeasts etc!

[ANTdrew]

This topic is hilarious. My wife is from Bolivia and thinks that ants are bad luck in general. All her family despises the poor things, and they think that all ants sting.

[FSTP]

This topic is hilarious. My wife is from Bolivia and thinks that ants are bad luck in general. All her family despises the poor things, and they think that all ants sting.

 

 

what does she think of your ant hobby?

[ANTdrew]

Ha! She’s actually done a decent job tolerating my girls. I’ve been careful not to get too carried away with 30 queens or anything. She did blame my hobby for the Tapinoma sessile infestation we had as if I attracted them. I’d put that in the myth category, too. Lol

[Kalidas]

I think the chalk line one is funny. If you don't know it, it's the idea that a chalk line will stop ants. It may confuse them by masking their scent marker in one spot but they will figure it out

[Kalidas]

One I used to believe as a kid was that the queen ants controlled the others. Not like mind control but that all the workers would go and tell her what they found and she would let them know if they should go get this thing or that thing.

Edited by Kalidas, November 24 2018 - 6:34 PM.

[FSTP]

I think the chalk line one is funny. If you don't know it, it's the idea that a chalk line will stop ants. It may confuse them by masking their scent marker in one spot but they will figure it out

 

 

I"ve never heard of the chalk but maybe people think it may work because you can use lines of Diatomaceous earth as a means to deture and kill small insects like ants.

[MegaMyrmex]

Every ant that’s red is apparently a fire ant, by far the most common once I’ve heard.