Is it wrong to pour molten metal into an ant colony?

if im not mistaken fire ants are an imported species introduced in the 1930's to America. if i recall correctly then killing them is not immoral (IMO). and its kinda cool to see the structure. of an ant colony. i think these are fire ants at least i cant see them that well. i also dont think you will ever make a dent in the population with this method.

i double checked that video, they were indeed fire ants. apparently i was wrong and not all fire ants are imported.

Anyone who has been bitten by fire ants will endorse this method!

I think this is a good question, because all too often, our sense of morality concerning animals is based around how fluffy and cute they are.

I don't think there is a simple answer to this, although I think we're more or less right when we determine how to treat them based on their degree of intelligence and self awareness.

I would object to using molten metal to make casts of live cats and dogs because they are traditional pet animals and I wouldn't want to disturb pet owners.

I am far less inclined to object when such a thing is done with a pest animal that is also an insect.

I think that my main consideration is not so much "fluffiness", but consideration for human beings.


eudaimonia,

Mark

As an invasive species, they should be eliminated from US soil. But I can think of better (more humane) ways to do it.

DaveW-Ohev said:

As an invasive species, they should be eliminated from US soil. But I can think of better (more humane) ways to do it.

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Do tell. What are those more humane ways?


eudaimonia,

Mark

As intriguing as the casting was in the end, I personally found that to be horrifying. And there is something sick about taking a souvenir like that without any thought or regard to the lives that were spent to acquire it.

Darkhorse said:

Anyone who has been bitten by fire ants will endorse this method!

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I can agree with that...
Cool casting and a way to make money..selling them...to boot.
It looks like a weird Christmas tree!
What is a humane way of killing them?
A slow lingering death through poisoning or a quick death through fire?

Eudaimonist said:

Do tell. What are those more humane ways?

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One is to sprikle Splenda on the mound. they love it but it becomes toxic to the queen and no more baby ants.

Concentrated liquid garlic poured on the mound. They leave and do not come back. Not sure if it kills them or not.

A google search will yeild other suggestions as well.

DaveW-Ohev said:

One is to sprikle Splenda on the mound. they love it but it becomes toxic to the queen and no more baby ants.

Concentrated liquid garlic poured on the mound. They leave and do not come back. Not sure if it kills them or not.

A google search will yeild other suggestions as well.

Click to expand...

Ever seen fire ants swarm?
Queens are flying everywhere..
Fire Ant Queen: Facts, Appearance & Trivia About Queen Fire Ant
Not all queens would be affected.
The garlic?
They only move to a new spot,probably in site of the old mound..problem NOT solved.

Autumnleaf said:

Exactly. Its the casting of a city that was done by burning the citizens of that city alive. It would be like using a volcano to make a casting of Pompeii.

'Aint it purty?'

But they are an invasive species of insects... so...

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Precisely. So there isn't necessarily anything wrong with that.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I've seen this before. I don't have a problem with it.

Can ants even feel pain..

It's not like they have thoughts and dreams..

They're also really ugly too.

Well, if aesthetics is all one has to account for to determine if killing is ok, then I know a few ugly people...

Not really addressing the video, but rather the idea of violence toward things like insects and pests etc.

We recently had an infestation of hobo spiders recently. Exterminators came and fixed the problem.

I'm okay with that.

I'm less okay if it involved taking a spider and pulling legs off one by one and generally torturing the thing.

I absolutely hate spiders, they absolutely freak me out. I will obliterate them when I see them with a rage and fury--because it's either me or them. That said, I wouldn't want to intentionally hurt one. Killing a spider and torturing a spider are different.

I'm bothered by the idea of taking satisfaction or joy in causing a living thing pain (regardless of whether the thing's nervous system actually can process pain or not).

How does it relate to the video exactly? Don't know.

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis said:

I absolutely hate spiders, they absolutely freak me out. I will obliterate them when I see them with a rage and fury--because it's either me or them. That said, I wouldn't want to intentionally hurt one. Killing a spider and torturing a spider are different.

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Ditto.

MehGuy said:

They're also really ugly too.

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Hmm. Not sure if I would endorse such a standard. Seems dangerous.

As to the OP, I can understand why wiping out a fire ant colony can be necessary, but I wouldn't glorify it by any means.