[ExI] Ant Games

[Stuart LaForge]

Quoting Spike:

> Stuart, if one is of a mind to do this kind of thing, you can arrange for an
> ant bridge like this using a piece of string or a strip of duct tape.  It is
> a low-cost way of getting rid of a wasp nest.  If the building is a storage
> shed rather than a casa, keeping ants makes sense: they control your
> termites.
>
> This is not to detract from the brilliance of the ants.  I love ants (to
> watch I mean, I don't eat them.)  I have seen cool ant-bridges in my
> misspent youth in Florida, not made with any technical assistance.  Nothing
> like this however.
>
> But... that does give me an idea.  Create a hanging ant bridge like this
> one, use it as a prize for an aardvark race.  Then we sell them the
> aardvarks.  And the specialty bridge-twine made of crushed ant-bodies, so it
> is all aardvark-edible, kind of like those treats your dog loves so well,
> only for aardvarks.

While your idea of using a string to get ants to get rid of wasps is  
very clever, the guy who took the video who is an amateur ant  
enthusiast claims that this is completely an ant construction with no  
help from him. Since he would have gotten just as much attention if  
not more for finding a way to get ants to attack wasp nests they might  
not otherwise attack, I tend to believe him. Of course there is the  
whole problem of getting close enough to both army ants on the march  
and a wasp nest to pull the trick off. This requires some measure of  
courage but you have kept bees so it would probably be a piece of cake  
for you.

Nonetheless, you answer is not correct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_mNC81fnyY

Want to take a stab at figuring out why the army ants in the video  
built the bridge that they did? Anyone?

Stuart LaForge