help survey North American ants

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GormanGhaste
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help survey North American ants

Unread post by GormanGhaste »

http://www.schoolofants.org/

Looks to be an easy-to-do project for kids or adults. They are especially interested in samples from Chicago, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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Dewclaw
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Re: help survey North American ants

Unread post by Dewclaw »

Looks fun on the surface, but SC kids (and others down south) might get more than they bargained for. That's fire ant territory. They're very aggressive and the sting is painful. I spent a good deal of my childhood down there, and I remember one kid sat on a low brick wall. He didn't know there was a nest nearby. The next thing I remember were his agonized screams and his frantic parents stripping him nude right there on the spot since his clothes were swarmed with them.
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GormanGhaste
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Re: help survey North American ants

Unread post by GormanGhaste »

Dewclaw wrote:Looks fun on the surface, but SC kids (and others down south) might get more than they bargained for. That's fire ant territory. They're very aggressive and the sting is painful. I spent a good deal of my childhood down there, and I remember one kid sat on a low brick wall. He didn't know there was a nest nearby. The next thing I remember were his agonized screams and his frantic parents stripping him nude right there on the spot since his clothes were swarmed with them.
Yes, I've lived my whole life here on the Gulf Coast, and getting stung by fire ants by accidentally disturbing a nest is a rite of passage! This is different, participants will be collecting ants at feeding sites, not at their nests.
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