The Ants Went Marching All The Way Down To The Ground

The most recent excitement at the library has been our newly acquired pets - Western Harvester Ants. We received them in the mail and Carolyn and I awkwardly filled the farm with sand. It was a frustrating task to funnel the sand into the small slit on the top of the farm. After getting most of it in (scattering much on the counter) I shook it like an etch a sketch to fill the bottom half. Just as it all filled, the bottom fell out and the dirt along with it onto the countertop.

Take two. As we finished, a patron came in and seeing our obvious discomfort at flicking the ants "which may sting" into the dirt trap, assisted us. Another paper funnel was made and the ants were flicked and scooped and placed into their plastic farm.

The fascination of living, crawling things in an atmosphere of lifeless books, greatly attracted us. "Look how quickly those ones are moving!" "Here are some carrot crumbs," "Oh why are there so many dead ones?" The fascination became our ruin. The more we interfered, the more they curled up dead. We were fearful that the dead ones would... potentially frustrate the live ones, so we put double-sided tape to one end of a plastic stick and I personally pulled out at least nine dead ants. Satisfied, we determined to let them be. Until....

"Why are they not tunneling? It's been a day and the pamphlet says that they should be tunneling by now."

"Leave them be, let's see what happens."

"Google it."

"Some sites say sugar water should do the trick." So the sugar water was added. At first, it greatly delighted us to see them giddy over the sugar water. All of them collected on the sugary damp sand, then none of them moved. "Do you think they're dead?"

"Probably not, let's just wait and see."

"No they're all dead! They're not moving! Oh wait, that ones moving, but it's so slow! Are they dead do you think? Do you think we killed them?"

And the ants went marching one by one to drum of death call. One was left. Then we did intentionally kill that one. The dirt was poured out. The ants extracted. And a new batch ordered.

"Don't touch them at all! Let's let them be."

And we shall see.