# How do you get ants to fight each other to the death? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935 "2005-04-12T05:29:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/1 "2005-04-12T05:29:04Z")
Last Sunday I was bored with time to kill, so I was using a plastic cup to capture ants. I noticed two types, a really fast black ant, and a stouter red ant. I figured these were different species, and assumed the red ant was a fire ant. I managed to capture a black ant and a red ant, with the hopes I would have my own little miniature thunderdome. However I was greatly disappointed to find that the ants were more interested in finding their way out than killing each other ☹ ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/2 "2005-04-12T05:43:11Z")
Maybe a blue ant and a red ant would be more likely to fight, especially if seats were up for grabs in ant congress. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/3 "2005-04-12T05:47:53Z")
What, you looking to lose a few karma points or something? I don’t object to killing animals if it’s for a good reason, but making animals fight to the death just because you’re bored ain’t too cool. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/4 "2005-04-12T06:17:38Z")
Oh come on, they’re ants. I’m sure we kill many every day without even noticing. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/5 "2005-04-12T06:31:05Z")
Yeah, and what difference should that make? Like I said, I have no objection to killing animals for the right reason (I’m as much an omnivore as the next guy, for example), and I certainly think it’s overdoing it to sweep the ground ahead of you as you walk, but deliberately killing for fun, even if it’s something that minor, strikes me as juvenile at best. ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/6 "2005-04-12T06:39:18Z")
What if they fought to the pain? ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/7 "2005-04-12T06:51:43Z")
> [@bclouse](#): > > What if they fought to the pain? The first thing you lose is your mandibles, and I’ll tell you why… ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/8 "2005-04-12T06:57:38Z")
Followed by your right compound eye. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/9 "2005-04-12T07:11:35Z")
Well, I’m no expert on ants, but i would imagine that you had yourself a couple of worker ants. Only the fighter ants would fight I guess. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/10 "2005-04-12T13:27:45Z")
First train one of them to coach a losing football team… in Texas. Seriously, a worker ant that is cut off from his nest is probably going to be more interested in reconnecting with the mothership, so to speak. Also, the ants may eat different stuff and have no need to compete for resources. ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/11 "2005-04-12T13:30:02Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > I managed to capture a black ant and a red ant, with the hopes I would have my own little miniature thunderdome. However I was greatly disappointed to find that the ants were more interested in finding their way out than killing each other ☹ My name is **Madd Maxx** and I approve this message. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/12 "2005-04-12T14:27:56Z")
As a person who used to capture insects in jars as a child, I will tell you that the most interesting fight I witnessed was two ants from the same colony versus a [robber fly](http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cee/biocontrol/predators/predgroups/photos/robberfly.html). Working together, the ants took him down hard. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/13 "2005-04-12T14:31:01Z")
My tastes ran towards this– [http://www.ebaumsworld.com/antcity.html](http://www.ebaumsworld.com/antcity.html) ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/14 "2005-04-12T14:42:01Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > Followed by your right compound eye. … hmmm… Do ants have ears? Timpanic membranes? I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/15 "2005-04-12T14:44:04Z")
Maybe you should drop a crack team of those huge black ants on top of a colony of the little red ants? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/16 "2005-04-12T20:04:02Z")
You, my friend, need to play [SimAnt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimAnt), which was quite a fun game. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/17 "2005-04-12T21:46:33Z")
How about humming that Captain Kirk Fight Music from when he had to fight Mr. Spock, I think, with nets and those trident thingies? That music worked as a great incentive for me when I was beating up on my sister when we were kids, even if I never did get to fight her to the death. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/18 "2005-04-12T21:53:12Z")
**Bosda,** thank you so much for that. I’m laughing hysterically and nuking jaywalkers! ---
**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/19 "2005-04-12T21:56:03Z")
They had not completed there Kung Fu classes. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935/20 "2005-04-12T22:02:08Z")
Hand each of them a tiny sword and half shield and inform them (in Latin) that they must fight to the death for their freedom. We who are about to die salute you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-ants-to-fight-each-other-to-the-death/298935.md?page=2)