# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/81 "2013-12-14T05:14:44Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > [Tschinkel aluminum ant mound casting](http://www.core77.com/blog/architecture/walter_tschinkels_aluminum_casts_of_ant_colonies_reveals_insect_architecture_23607.asp). The article says the molten aluminum vaporizes the ants, so at least it’s fast. And here I was expecting thousands of little aluminum Pompeii-like ant castings. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/82 "2013-12-14T13:13:22Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I may have seen this; I’m not going to watch it right now. Is this the program where some scientists filled an ant mound with cement, and had to use a whole truckfull before they were done, and it was 20 or 30 feet deep? That was cool. yeah about 30 feet deep, covering 50 square metres and displacing 40 tonnes of soil. what would be an equivalent human structure? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/83 "2013-12-14T15:17:46Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > what would be an equivalent human structure? Great Wall of China? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/84 "2013-12-14T16:43:54Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > If only Al would melt at a reasonable temperature, I could see turning fire ant extermination into a cottage industry. Wouldn’t lead work just as well? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/85 "2013-12-14T16:46:54Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Wouldn’t lead work just as well? It’s about four times heavier. I think the resulting sculpture’s branches would sag rather quickly. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/86 "2013-12-14T22:02:34Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > I too feel a bit uncomfortable with this. I know that fire ants are invasives who cause a lot of trouble, but pouring molten metal on any living creature does seem inhumane to me. The guy’s an entomologist actually, and this is a way to better visualize the ant colony. Beyond that, you must live somewhere that fire ants don’t. If you did, you’d be indifferent at best, and more likely merciless about eliminating them in any and every way possible. Boiling water works ok, but tends to leave big dead patches in the yard. Generally, AMDRO is about the best stuff out there, but it takes a while to take effect. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/87 "2013-12-14T22:10:34Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > It’s about four times heavier. > > I think the resulting sculpture’s branches would sag rather quickly. But if the goal is just to kill ants, not make art … ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/88 "2013-12-14T22:12:58Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Surprising amount of **Ant** ropocentric viewpoints in this thread! Lousy buncha formicators! ---
**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 14, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/89 "2013-12-14T22:29:12Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > But if the goal is just to kill ants, not make art … Then boiling water is one of the most emotionally satisfying ways to kill a mound. Just don’t laugh maniacally too loudly. The neighbors tend to stare. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/90 "2013-12-14T23:49:52Z")
There’s always the Old School method of your normal household magnifying glass. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/91 "2013-12-15T02:35:28Z")
Texan here. The government should subsidize this tortu- I mean, artform. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/92 "2013-12-15T02:54:16Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > There’s always the Old School method of your normal household magnifying glass. Highly time consuming and doesn’t leave you with cool abstract sculpture afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/93 "2013-12-15T04:21:50Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > yeah about 30 feet deep, covering 50 square metres and displacing 40 tonnes of soil. what would be an equivalent human structure? Story and video here - Amazing! > **[The bug society: The sophisticated underground ant city that 'rivals the...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2095335/Underground-ant-city-Brazil-rivals-Great-Wall-China-labyrinth-highways.html)** > > The abandoned megalopolis, which features vast subterranean highways, paths and gardens, was found buried beneath the earth in Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/94 "2013-12-15T16:04:37Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > 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: So you have no problem slaughtering millions of water-borne microbes just to quench your brutish thirst? Your mouth is soaked in the blood of innocents, you murderous bastard! ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/95 "2013-12-15T19:02:14Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Do you tend to stare in horror as your neighbor saturates a yellowjacket nest with permethrin, leaving its residents writhing uncontrollably on the ground? I do. I hate insecticides. Is there a way to pour molten metal into a yellow jacket nest? ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/96 "2013-12-15T19:17:11Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Is there a way to pour molten metal into a yellow jacket nest? I think you’d need to squirt it from a pressurized container, unless you’re brave enough to make a hole in the top of the nest first. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/97 "2013-12-15T19:29:18Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I think you’d need to squirt it from a pressurized container, unless you’re brave enough to make a hole in the top of the nest first. Yeah, that whole gravity thing can be a pain. The flying stinging insects are getting out of control around here, in part because I hate using insecticides. I wonder if I could encourage natural predators to move in … ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/98 "2013-12-15T21:24:06Z")
Is there a way to do this with stink bugs? Every summer, Pennsylvania is infested with those damned things, and I’d love to find a way to get rid of them AND create art for my home. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/99 "2013-12-15T21:47:23Z")
Ah the heinous stinkbugs. One thing I do not miss about Virginia. In Florida they get ate. I don’t know what eats em, but there is never the invasion. I say engineer a virus and wipe them from the face of the earth. it’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224/100 "2013-12-16T00:26:33Z")
My aunt had a small farm where she bred dairy cows ‘au natural’ (that is no artificial insemination, she had a bull) and raised them on pasture. Anyway, fire ants moved into her pastures and destroyed her ability to feed her cattle. She couldn’t poison the ants without ruining her ability to raise her cattle. They destroyed her business. She would have atomized the ants with molten aluminum and danced with glee around their roasting eco-skeletonized bodies. And feel no sympathy for fire ants. No more than you’d feel for crazy ants. Once those things get in your house you won’t worry about their ‘right to live’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-you-get-when-you-pour-molten-aluminum-into-an-ant-hill/676224.md?page=6)