Question About Ant Holes

[Ricardo_NY1]

I've had this question in my mind for a while, but never got to posting it.......

Can anyone here please explain to me why it is that when you turn over a plug that has ants in it, it smells like that saddle soap that is used to clean floors?

 

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[Silver Fox]

I've had this question in my mind for a while, but never got to posting it.......

Can anyone here please explain to me why it is that when you turn over a plug that has ants in it, it smells like that saddle soap that is used to clean floors?

Ricardo: You sure have a sensitive nose! I've disturbed many ants and have never smelled anything. However, I may have found the answer to your question. Seeing a lot of documentaries about ants got me to go to google and ask. Here is the "solution"!

http://www.electronicsinfoline.com/...y/do_ants_produce_acid_when_antagonised.shtml
Do ants produce acid when antagonised?
Some stinging insects spray formic acid into the air when threatened. Find an anthill, step on it lightly to disturb the ants, without getting stung place a piece of indicator paper over the ants.

Edward

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

Thanks Ed........your research motivated me to do the same and I found this......

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantsmell.html

Anyhow, it annoys the crap out of me whenever I smell that soapy smell.........but it doesn't stop me. I'd figured others were also experiencing the same.

 

[Silver Fox]

Thanks Ed........your research motivated me to do the same and I found this......

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mantsmell.html

Anyhow, it annoys the crap out of me whenever I smell that soapy smell.........but it doesn't stop me. I'd figured others were also experiencing the same.

Ah, good ol' Straight Dope. Used to be my reference for many years back when. Cecil certainly got one thinking but I learned that he CAN make mistakes, rare but still make you think of alternatives. I put him on my FAVORITES to start checking again.

Ed

 

[jraven]

I'm not sure what ants smell like, but I know they taste like cinnamon.. When I was a kid my mother left the jelly out one night with the lid off.. Well we had ants!!! They crawled into the jar.... Someone had put the jelly back in the fridge! The next day my mother served me English muffins with jelly and ants...... Somehow she didn't notice ants were in the jelly, and I didn't notice they were on my English muffin either....

I took a few bites and was wondering why it tasted like cinnamon.... I looked at the muffin and it was covered with dead ants................. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I screamed... I ran to the kitchen sink and tried to puke..... I still don't know how my mother did that.... I'll never forget that............ Sorry to gross you out!!!!

 

[Silver Fox]

I'm not sure what ants smell like, but I know they taste like cinnamon.. When I was a kid my mother left the jelly out one night with the lid off.. Well we had ants!!! They crawled into the jar.... Someone had put the jelly back in the fridge! The next day my mother served me English muffins with jelly and ants...... Somehow she didn't notice ants were in the jelly, and I didn't notice they were on my English muffin either....

I took a few bites and was wondering why it tasted like cinnamon.... I looked at the muffin and it was covered with dead ants................. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I screamed... I ran to the kitchen sink and tried to puke..... I still don't know how my mother did that.... I'll never forget that............ Sorry to gross you out!!!!
I wasn't grossed out. I'm aware that in some societies, civilized and uncivilized, ants are a delicacy. Here in New York City you can buy chocolate-covered ants. I like your idea, though, cinnamon on strawberry jam on a nicely-toasted English muffin; hmmm!

 

[Evolx10]

None of you ever watched that old B&W movie "THEM"?
Big ants, formic acid etc.

Some birds will purposely disturb ant hills and bathe in the formic acid being sprayed because it will act as an insecticide to the lice and ticks on the bird. Some even learned to pick up the ants and place them in their feathers under a wing or something, it just drives the lice out.

So yea, next time you feel so inclined, roll on a large ant hill and you will be free of PB tics for the rest of the season.

 

[sniffer]

I've also noticed that if you sweep your coil over a fire ant mound it will ring up as metal

Sniffer

 

[Evolx10]

I've also noticed that if you sweep your coil over a fire ant mound it will ring up as metal

Sniffer

You keep those fire ants down there -K!. thanks

that is interesting though, i wonder why?

 

[sniffer]

as long as you don't disturb them they usually won't mess with you

 

[boogeyman]

All us naughty boys in elementry school used to get a bunch of black ants on our hands and eat em in front of the girls to freak em out! Sent many a little girl screaming down the hall. Awwwww.... the good ole days

 

[Silver Fox]

I've also noticed that if you sweep your coil over a fire ant mound it will ring up as metal

Sniffer

You keep those fire ants down there -K!. thanks

that is interesting though, i wonder why?

Ain't you never heard of pack-(rat)ants? There's coins in them there ant holes!

 

[bradyboy]

what your asking about is called very clean soap ants - LOL
as for fire ants, here in FL, if you even think about disturbing them your in trouble.
you can step in a mound not realize it until its to late
I have to keep several creams to help dull the pain and also keep benadrill (sp?) on hand
you can go into anaphlatic shock if you get bit by to many, like bees
not to mention the pain that last for a few hours,
bites can lasts for days and become infected easy
I have a dog that I need to bring to the vet a couple times a year because he sat on a nest.
Very nasty problem here in the south
the big problem is, they are very very small
very resi;ant to almost all pesticides, nests constantly move, over night, especially when their nest gets rained out

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

sheehs, despite many opinions in here, I am not an "ant hole"

Don Jose d e La Mancha

 

[Montana Jim]

I've also noticed that if you sweep your coil over a fire ant mound it will ring up as metal

Sniffer

That used to happen to me too in NY...actually detected ant hills... ??

We are also not alone - and have chatted about that before here.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,104362.0.html

 

[relichunters]

I thought I smelled something a little faint. But ignored it, there was iron underneath these little guys.

 

[LSTgoldseeker]

thats funny ,because when i was about five i used to eat ants off the sidewalk.. i dont know why i did it. just bored i guess..lol i remember they were ''hot '' though.

 

[jgas]

Those red ones are Citranella ants and they smell like the Citranella candles used to keep mosquitos away. They don't work by the way. But it is where they get the smell from for the candle. Take one and pinch it between your fingers and the smell is quite potent. As far as all the others go...who knows..a protection/defensive smell to ward off predators like humans digging for silver and gold!!!!! HH jgas