…and this is a 
I am in awe — they did it without anyone noticing. They just infiltrated nations all around the planet, smuggling in individuals to form vast new colonies of billions, all loyal to the overlords back home. Of course, these are very, very short Argentinians, which made them harder to notice: they're all ants.
In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the 'Californian large', extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.
While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart. Each super-colony, however, was thought to be quite distinct.
But it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony.
You better start practicing your tango is you hope to get along with our new arthropod overlords.
Life Science
Comments
Posted by: whitedevilbrewco | July 1, 2009 1:07 PM
I for one welcome etc etc
Posted by: cervantes
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July 1, 2009 1:07 PM
Argentina is named for its rumored, but as it turns out non-existent, silver deposits. (Argentium, get it?) As is the Rio de la Plata (river of silver). It turns out what they do have is a whole lot of grass and, evidently, ants. So the country should have been named Hormigida, or something. It's too bad those ants aren't good for anything.
Posted by: ThirtyFiveUp | July 1, 2009 1:08 PM
Please let one of the citizens of Germany know that ThirtyFiveUp mourns the passing of Pina Bausch and is happy that she shared for a time the same earth as we other humans.
Gone too soon.
Kunst-en-Blog
Posted by: Jadehawk, OM
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July 1, 2009 1:08 PM
so the One World Government of the New World Order is actually a ginormous ant colony?
Posted by: X. Wolp | July 1, 2009 1:13 PM
Having spent some time in my university's ant (well evolutionary biology, ie ant) department under the profesor mentioned in this story, I can attest that this not really is news at all!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1932509.stm
It's weird how these stories resurface with little added research over and over again.
Then again, the more people welcome our new insect overlords the better.
Posted by: Fred the Hun
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July 1, 2009 1:17 PM
Apparently they were carefully choosing a country where they would have special protection.
Posted by: Chris Davis
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July 1, 2009 1:17 PM
I recall an article long ago mentioning that ants have a vocabulary of pheromones so complex it actually has syntax. [brain falls out]
They say an ant colony exists as an effective organism, of which the ants are motile cells. Could that organism ever develop intelligence, I wonder?
'Cos we're in for some serious biting if it does...
Posted by: JD | July 1, 2009 1:19 PM
The universe was fine-tuned for them. It's the arthropic priciple.
Posted by: (((Billy))) The Atheist | July 1, 2009 1:21 PM
Well, the Argentines already brought down a leading contender for the 2012 GOP nomination, so I guess that they are pretty damn powerful. Sanford, the itching sensation is not from the ants.
Posted by: X. Wolp | July 1, 2009 1:22 PM
@6
This only really applies to protected and endangered species, along with everything from hornets over beavers to wolves.
Unfortunately, people still don't get it despite draconian laws.
Posted by: daveau
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July 1, 2009 1:23 PM
Except that they all get along with one another.
Posted by: Tom | July 1, 2009 1:25 PM
Even worse, they'll be immune to our biological weapons using their awesome metapleural glands.
Posted by: Patricia, OM
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July 1, 2009 1:26 PM
Cervantes - Send any extra ants my way. The Pullet Patrol is extremely fond of them.
Posted by: SimonG | July 1, 2009 1:28 PM
There are lots of stories about super-intelligent insects. The scariest I think is the film "Phase IV". That really creeped me out when I saw it.
Posted by: Knockgoats | July 1, 2009 1:28 PM
It's too bad those ants aren't good for anything. - Cervantes
Careful! Don't Antagonise them! They can anticipate our every move, and our antiquated weapons will be useless against them!
Posted by: Lilith | July 1, 2009 1:31 PM
And in Australia, too, apparently.
From a 2008 story on the popular science program, Catalyst:
"One of the biggest feral supercolonies in the world is taking over Melbourne. The invaders are Argentine Ants, and they’ve formed a mafia that has systematically wrestled control of the suburbs from the native ants over the last 50 years."
And as a more recent article says, they are aiding in the spread of weeds. See: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/02/18/2490438.htm
(I don't know how to do html tags, sorry)
Posted by: Glen Davidson
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July 1, 2009 1:33 PM
And they corrupted the poor Republicans. Just sad.
Glen D
http://tinyurl.com/mxaa3p
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 1, 2009 1:33 PM
Just be glad these aren't our SC red imported fire ants.
Posted by: saed | July 1, 2009 1:33 PM
Is this a problem?
Posted by: Fred the Hun
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July 1, 2009 1:36 PM
JD @8
Resistance is futile.
Our Queen, who art in the hill,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Anthill come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in ant heaven.
Bring us this day our daily crumbs.
And forgive not our trespassers,
As we fight those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into ant bait,
But deliver us from Raid.
[For thine is the Queendom,
and the sting, and the burning,
for ever and ever.]
Antmen.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 1, 2009 1:37 PM
I bet this excites EO Wilson.
Posted by: VegeBrain | July 1, 2009 1:48 PM
I'll get worried when the ants get a Bible and start reading it literally.
Posted by: daveau
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July 1, 2009 1:48 PM
Lilith @16
The Comment Posting Guidelines on Richard Dawkin's site (you have to log in to comment) contain probably all you need to know about HTML.
And your link works.
Posted by: Patricia, OM
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July 1, 2009 1:50 PM
Chimpy - Probably cruel of me to rub it in, but today for lunch I'm having a BLT with the first ripe homegrown tomato of the year. :)
Posted by: Sastra
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July 1, 2009 1:50 PM
Dang, I was going to make an EO Wilson joke, and Rev BDC beat me to it.
I was going to suggest we use him to either negotiate, or indoctrinate the New World Order into secular humanism. Or, I suppose, both.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 1, 2009 1:57 PM
Well I wish I had waited, your joke would have been better than my comment.
Harumph.
Well I had a big bag of tomatoes, squash, zucchini, okra, jalapeños, wax peppers and corn sitting on my counter that came fresh from my friend's huge garden yesterday.
I was just informed by my father in law who went by to pick up some of the veg for himself that my 100 Lbs. lab and his partner in crime, the red-headed-step-dog, had pulled the whole bag onto the porch and devoured or destroyed much of it.
I can't wait until the chiles start hitting them.
Maybe i should cure some bacon this week to make up for it...
/thread derail
Posted by: Patricia, OM
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July 1, 2009 2:10 PM
Rats! Here I thought I had aced you on the tomato. Oh well, at least the ANTS didn't get your veg.
Posted by: Jadehawk, OM
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July 1, 2009 2:15 PM
I hate you two. our farmers market doesn't even start until 2 weeks from now :-(
Posted by: Trollhattan | July 1, 2009 2:20 PM
I loathe those little bastards. They really do take over. Weather gets too hot? They come inside. Too cold? Back inside. Wet? You get the picture. I’m not talking the occasional single-file line of scouts; I’m talking clouds of them, getting into *everything* as they enjoy their new surroundings. It may be the case in winter there are so many packed into the house walls they actually provide some measure of insulation. Win!
In the garden they farm aphids and scale insects with zeal, making pest control efforts a joke. They’re heroic excavators, which is probably good for over-compacted soil but not so good for tiled areas, which become undermined. They don’t seem the least bit interested in off-the-shelf ant bait, although I’m told they’ll respond to boric acid in sugar water.
I haven’t seen a native ant in my yard in years and by the same token, I wonder whether they have any interest in driving off termites (if that were the case I’d consider a truce).
I'm shopping for an aardvark on Craig's List.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp | July 1, 2009 2:24 PM
*gets idea for cornering the market on mail order aardvarks
Posted by: spion | July 1, 2009 2:27 PM
I, for one, welcome our new formicid overlords.
Posted by: skeptical scientist | July 1, 2009 2:36 PM
I'm assuming a "supercolony" is defined by some sort of special behavioral relationship that exists within the super-colony but not between members of different super-colonies. Wikipedia suggests that this relationship is that ants within a supercolony are so genetically similar that they can travel to other colonies in the supercolony without being attacked. But what is special about this "single global mega-colony"? What makes it constitute a single colony rather than a conglomeration of smaller colonies?
Posted by: AwesomeRobot | July 1, 2009 2:57 PM
#5 "I can attest that this not really is news at all!"
and
#32 "What makes it constitute a single colony rather than a conglomeration of smaller colonies?"
Did you RTFA?
"While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart. Each super-colony, however, was thought to be quite distinct.
But it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony. "
Take some individuals from some of the biggest colonies on 3 continents, introduce them, and they don't fight. They act like they are in the same colony. There ARE some distinct smaller supercolonies of the same species that don't get along.
Posted by: Darren Garrison | July 1, 2009 3:02 PM
They appear to have reached the Appalachian Trail.
Posted by: Fred the Hun
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July 1, 2009 3:02 PM
Rev BDC @ 30,
If you get the Aardvarks market on Craig's list I'll take the Tamanduas
http://lh4.ggpht.com/abramsv/SClFXQM9xbI/AAAAAAAAQyQ/VPHAMB140ns/tamandua_49.jpg
Posted by: blf | July 1, 2009 3:16 PM
Hex must have sprung a leak.
Posted by: stogoe | July 1, 2009 3:25 PM
"Instead of aardvark package contained Argentine ant colony. Would not buy again."Posted by: Kevin Anthoney
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July 1, 2009 3:26 PM
Get some sleep!
Posted by: Southern Comfort | July 1, 2009 3:31 PM
Gee, for a minute there I thought you were talking about a proliferation of mistresses.
Posted by: Marc Abian | July 1, 2009 3:50 PM
I use boiling water.
Alternatively, if you get enough young children around in the area, the problem is solved.
Posted by: SC, OM | July 1, 2009 3:53 PM
OK, this is a relatively young thread and has a vaguely Latin-American theme (yes, I'm shoehorning this in, but it's greatly important to me), so:
My time away happened to coincide with a coup in Honduras, so I've been spending a lot of my time trying to get good information, marching/chanting, etc.
The situation there is still very serious. I just want to urge everyone to read/watch anything in the media (especially the English-language media) extremely critically, particularly claims that Zelaya was seeking unconstitutionally to extend his time in office. Here's an article that offers some clarification:
http://www.counterpunch.org/thorensen07012009.html
The media (not just Faux News, but also CNN, the AP and others) are reporting misinformation and outright lies when they report on the events at all. Almost every story contains grossly inaccurate statements. They appear to be relying on - and repeating uncritically - the accounts of the coup-plotters, who have been roundly condemned and denied recognition by virtually all other governments, the EU, the OAS, and the UN. Even the World Bank has canceled aid and the Pentagon suspended joint activities [!] until the reinstatement of the country's democratically-elected president.
Please question these pro-coup reports, try to get more accurate information, and hope/work for Zelaya's peaceful return to office.
(Sorry for the OT post. I'm not attempting a threadjack, and am happy to leave it there and return as soon as I can to other threads I left dangling when I went away, but I wanted to get it out there in case people were unaware of this serious situation. BTW, hi, everyone - hope you all had a nice weekend.)
Posted by: armillary | July 1, 2009 4:02 PM
They may have conquered three continents (and counting), but when they can induce PZ to start posting "wednesday arthropods", they've gotten something.
Posted by: Jadehawk, OM
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July 1, 2009 4:08 PM
SC, that's not really surprising, is it. All reports are always assessed for which side is "us" and which side is "them", and THEN reported with appropriate bias.
And anybody who can have Chavez try to "come to the rescue" must, by definition, be "them". *rolleyes*
Posted by: SC, OM | July 1, 2009 4:17 PM
No, sadly not surprising at all. ...Well, maybe a bit strange when "them" has come to include the US government and the Pentagon...
Posted by: Jadehawk, OM
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July 1, 2009 4:24 PM
well, right now "them" including the U.S. government isn't too surprising*. The pentagon stuff... well you've got a point. Maybe it's just one of those details no one bothers with.
anyway, maybe I should dig out my Al Jazeera link... wonder what their take on the situation is.
*didn't you hear? we've been taken over by evil socialists, and Obama and Chavez are BFF :-p
Posted by: Lilith | July 1, 2009 4:30 PM
You can keep your aardvarks. I want a pangolin for my ant problems. They look so damn cute when they walk like they're sneaking.
Actually, since moving to a 3rd floor apartment, I haven't seen a single ant indoors. Where I lived before (house that had a big yard full of ants' nests), I would find at least half a dozen big ones in the house a day, including in the bed, the rude bastards. I kept hoping if I killed the scouts, they'd stop sending more, but no luck. I had a nasty feeling they were planning a full-scale invasion and one morning I'd wake up with them carrying my futon, with me on it, out the door.
Posted by: SC, OM | July 1, 2009 4:38 PM
Even Al Jazeera pretty much sucks on this one, repeating the accusations and coup-defenses uncritically:
Sigh.
Posted by: skepsci | July 1, 2009 4:42 PM
#33: Nope, missed the link in the post, and thought he was still blogging about talks in Lindau. Thanks for pointing it out.
Posted by: Jadehawk, OM
|
July 1, 2009 4:44 PM
bah :-(
Posted by: AwesomeRobot | July 1, 2009 4:49 PM
SC & Jadehawk, this article IS about us versus THEM!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLvg6KYiVtg
=P
Posted by: Knockgoats | July 1, 2009 4:53 PM
SC,OM@41,
Thanks for that. I admit I was completely confused by reports from the BBC. It did seem odd that Zelaya was accused of trying to illegally extend his term, when the proposed referendum would only take place at the same time as the next presidential election, in which he couldn't legally take part - and that the OAS and Obama administration were so strongly against the coup! Still seems odd that even respectable news organisations got it wrong, but I guess most of them don't have correspondents in Honduras, and probably all relied on the same one or two sources.
Posted by: caerbannog | July 1, 2009 4:58 PM
Here in Southern California, I am preparing for the annual summer invasion of hungry/thirsty little black ants into the house.
Leave just a little scrap of food out and a few hours later, it will look like an ant-version of I-5 at rush-hour.
Fortunately, the little buggers don't bite or sting, and they do love to eat termites (and for that reason alone, I'll give them a pass).
The most effective way to deal with these little guys isn't insecticide -- it's dark granite countertops. Then they don't show. Our ants-in-the-kitchen problem basically "disappeared" after we had our kitchen remodeled!
Posted by: SC, OM | July 1, 2009 5:05 PM
I think that may be part of it for some, but the almost complete silence concerning the military's forcibly shutting down media outlets and detaining and (reportedly) beating journalists, and then reporting based on statements from the people who are behind that, is particularly appalling. I mean, way to stand up for press freedom.
Posted by: daveau
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July 1, 2009 5:10 PM
caerbannog @52
My brother was taking a potential buyer for is old car for a test drive. When the buyer asked if there was anything that he could do about some noise or other, my brother reached over and turned on the radio.
His name is Jim. Do you know him? ;-)
Posted by: Trollhattan | July 1, 2009 5:14 PM
@caerbannog
I'll take your black countertop tip under advisement, as it's been more than ten years since our last kitchen overhaul. Excellent idea!
Maybe we can also do our part by breaking down all this intrastate ant amity: My (nor-Cal) queen says your queen is a slut and has (six) fat ankles. Do let her know.
Posted by: Alex | July 1, 2009 5:19 PM
*deep breath*
COOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My brain just exploded due to how awesome that is. I'm going to go read some EO Wilson right after my nerdgasm refractory period is complete.
Aside @ 8: "arthropic priciple" = utter brilliance.
Posted by: Jonathan Pienaar | July 1, 2009 5:51 PM
> You better start practicing your tango if you hope to get
> along with our new arthropod overlords.
6 000 km! That's one heckuva conga-line!
--
jon
Posted by: Jonathan Pienaar | July 1, 2009 5:57 PM
> You better start practicing your tango if you hope to get
> along with our new arthropod overlords.
6 000 km! That's one heckuva conga-line!
--j
Posted by: Jafafa Hots | July 1, 2009 6:38 PM
I love ants. Unfortunately my family doesn't feel the same way and were unhappy with my leaving pieces of Dorito on the the floor so I could watch them discover it and form a trail.
Posted by: antaresrichard | July 1, 2009 7:33 PM
Charlton Heston, I mean Leiningen, would have taken care of 'em, 'Phase IV' (1974) notwithstanding!
Posted by: Spike | July 1, 2009 10:05 PM
Those argentine ants are benign overlords. They do invade everywhere, but are easy to deal with. They discourage bad habits: you leave a dirty plate out, it will be covered with ants a few hours later- so you don't leave a dirty plate out. When they are out in mass, you can just vacuum them up. They dissolve in most spray cleaners. Wiping out their trails usually directs them elsewhere. Lots of fun for kids to experiment with.
Posted by: MikeS29
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July 1, 2009 10:10 PM
@ 20 >>> Brilliant (over)lords prayer!
@ 40 "Alternatively, if you get enough young children around in the area, the problem is solved."
Yeah, but where are you gonna get that many magnifying glasses?
Posted by: atomjack | July 1, 2009 11:17 PM
@62- unfortunately all my ant-frying was performed against those damned red ants, thus assuring the ascendancy of the Argentines. Oh, well. NB: with a big enough burning glass, one can lay out a trail of smoking ants on the sidewalk at will. Stinks, though.
Posted by: Daneel | July 2, 2009 12:04 AM
Yeah. And you'll see when wee get you infected with peronism!
Posted by: uncle frogy | July 2, 2009 3:04 AM
of all the pests I have had any dealings with the Argentine ant is the most frustrating. So how do you kill an ant colony when it gets as dig as California or any of the other super colonies. they are a major problem the costs must be enormous. I had no idea that they had formed other "super colonies" but I am not surprised just saddened. We have really made a very big mess out of the places we live in.
Posted by: Christophe Thill | July 2, 2009 3:55 AM
"While ants are usually highly territorial, those living within each super-colony are tolerant of one another, even if they live tens or hundreds of kilometres apart."
It looks like a good recipe for success, doesn't it? Humankind better take heed of this...
Posted by: SteveL
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July 2, 2009 4:11 AM
They all have the same Mom?
Posted by: embertine | July 2, 2009 4:42 AM
Para me, acojo con satisfacción a nuestros reyes de la hormiga.
Posted by: TheThomas | July 2, 2009 4:58 AM
Are we taking bets on which species will be the colonizers of the Earth in 1,000 years?
1) Roaches
2) Argentinian Mega-colony
3) Humans
4) Microbial
5) Rats
...
Posted by: Jadehawk, OM
|
July 2, 2009 5:00 AM
6) cephalopods...
Posted by: piratebrido | July 2, 2009 5:12 AM
The cephalopods will save us, and by save us I mean kill us all, arthropods included.
Posted by: Rorschach | July 2, 2009 5:13 AM
7) Burmese Pythons
Posted by: Jerry | July 2, 2009 11:25 AM
This is as good a time as any to recommend Italo Calvino's fine novella, "The Argentine Ant."
Posted by: gaypaganunitarianagnostic | July 2, 2009 6:56 PM
About the only thing good about the fire ant invasion is that they are not inclined to come into homes and infest food. I can remember having to put cake plates in trays of water to keep sugar ants away. How bad are argentine ant stings? Not as bad as fire ant stings, I do hope. What would happen on the boundary between argentine ant territory and fire ant land?
Posted by: Ragutis | July 4, 2009 5:01 AM
Oh... Well, then THIS makes a hell of a lot more sense all of the sudden.
And Mickey clinches it!
Will The Doctor save us in time?