# What You Get When You Pour Molten Aluminum Into An Ant Hill **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 13, 2013, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224 "2013-12-13T05:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/41 "2013-12-13T19:20:02Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Fascinating video of what happens](http://digg.com/video/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill) when you pour molten aluminum into a fire ant mound. I absolutely have to get me one of those!! > [@usedtobe](#): > > It is for sale on ebay - 85 bids, $4200, 20 hours left I can absolutely live without one of those!! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/42 "2013-12-13T19:27:20Z")
Kind of looked like The Umbrella corporation’s underground facility. (From Resident Evil) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/43 "2013-12-13T19:32:36Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > The current price of Aluminum on the London Metal Exchange is about 80 cents per pound. > > I used to work in a Aluminum Smelter and we sold Aluminum as hot molten metal and trucked it to customers. Seriously? It (a) stayed molten in the truck while being transported and (b) wasn’t an unbelievable hazard to have on the highway? ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/44 "2013-12-13T19:34:27Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Or you could just nuke them from orbit. Concidering the microscopic view point of the ant, that was nuking them from orbit ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/45 "2013-12-13T19:43:43Z")
I can’t seem to understand why the majority of people have no moral or ethical obligations to this. Vermin or not, they’re living creatures. They don’t have a right to live and exist because we say so? ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/46 "2013-12-13T19:50:30Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I can’t seem to understand why the majority of people have no moral or ethical obligations to this. Vermin or not, they’re living creatures. They don’t have a right to live and exist because we say so? Some of us believe that the ant isn’t able to understand suffering or cruelty. It would be akin to harvesting wheat, or turning off a computer. Entomologists, correct us if we’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/47 "2013-12-13T19:52:35Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I can’t seem to understand why the majority of people have no moral or ethical obligations to this. Vermin or not, they’re living creatures. They don’t have a right to live and exist because we say so? I had a chicken sandwich for lunch, which means that everyone in the supply chain (me included) decided that the chicken didn’t have a right to live. I was hungry, so I paid (albeit indirectly) to have a chicken killed for my lunch. If I’m OK with killing innocent chickens for lunch, why would you be surprised that I’m not bothered by someone killing pestilent ants, and making art in the process? Are you disturbed by the manner of their death (contact with molten metal), or merely the fact that they’re being killed? Do you tend to stare in horror as your neighbor saturates a yellowjacket nest with permethrin, leaving its residents writhing uncontrollably on the ground? ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/48 "2013-12-13T19:54:02Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I can’t seem to understand why the majority of people have no moral or ethical obligations to this. Vermin or not, they’re living creatures. They don’t have a right to live and exist because we say so? I was uncomfortable with it until I learned that they were fire ants. You don’t want those things anywhere near your property. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/49 "2013-12-13T19:54:56Z")
Surprising amount of **Ant** ropocentric viewpoints in this thread! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/50 "2013-12-13T20:04:13Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I can’t seem to understand why the majority of people have no moral or ethical obligations to this. Vermin or not, they’re living creatures. They don’t have a right to live and exist because we say so? Yes. It’s one of the perks of being at the top of the food chain. Also, since morality is a concept made up completely by us, it seems only logical that we get to decide whether or not such creatures should have the privilege of existing alongside us humans. ETA: After posting this, I went to look up anthropocentric, as I’m not familiar with this word. Considering the above post, that’s pretty damn funny. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/51 "2013-12-13T20:08:27Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > What a coincidence. So did\*\* cochrane \*\*in post 13. Sorry too busy humming. ---
**Author:** ![sich\_hinaufwinden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@sich\_hinaufwinden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sich_hinaufwinden)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/52 "2013-12-13T20:18:03Z")
I can’t stand the thought of killing innocent microbes. So I no longer use mouthwash. Or hand soap. Or heat my food. etc. I have a clear conscience. I don’t know how you ant murderers live with yourselves. Life is precious! ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/53 "2013-12-13T20:26:00Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I can’t seem to understand why the majority of people have no moral or ethical obligations to this. Vermin or not, they’re living creatures. They don’t have a right to live and exist because we say so? And the native ants they are killing and displacing? Do they not have a right to exist? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/54 "2013-12-13T20:30:58Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Surprising amount of **Ant** ropocentric viewpoints in this thread! Boo! ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/55 "2013-12-13T20:35:21Z")
If you’ve ever been playing football as a kid and landed in the mound of the little bastards, the sentiments in this commercial are 100% on target. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FhXl9_K_9qE/hqdefault.jpg "Funniest Fire Ant Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhXl9_K_9qE) “You cannot rehabilitate a fire ant.” ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/56 "2013-12-13T20:50:53Z")
How would one be able to get 20 pounds of aluminum to melting point (1221ºF)? I assume a propane turkey fryer burner would be insufficient. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/57 "2013-12-13T20:55:27Z")
> [@sich\_hinaufwinden](#): > > Life is precious! This is why I don’t eat or drink anything but water and why I hate vegetarians of all stripes. They’re all hypocrits. They say, “Oh, life is precious and you meat eaters should be ashamed of yourselves.” Yet they are perfectly happy and proud of themselves for murdering all those plants. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/58 "2013-12-13T21:05:18Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > It is for sale on ebay - 85 bids, $4200, 20 hours left > > [http://www.ebay.com/itm/251400985690?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&\_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649](http://www.ebay.com/itm/251400985690?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649) Perfect username/post combination: eBay seems to have yanked that item. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/59 "2013-12-13T21:06:50Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Seriously? It (a) stayed molten in the truck while being transported and (b) wasn’t an unbelievable hazard to have on the highway? Yes Seriously, we shipped out Molten Aluminum. They had to be delivered in two or three hours for it to stay molten. They have done it Canada too. In winter. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/60 "2013-12-13T21:18:03Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Perfect username/post combination: eBay seems to have yanked that item. Well, [this](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-Fire-Ant-Colony-Casting-043-/251397738345?pt=Art_Sculpture&hash=item3a88790f69) looks like the one in the video. It sold for $250.00 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224.md?page=4)