A species of biting red ants, known as “Siafu” in Kiswahili, hunt at night in droves, consuming all things in their path like a gigantic tidal wave. They form highways where protection ants, waiting for any intrusive attack, stand guard above and around an undercurrent of travelling masses. Siafu ants, much like mosquitoes I believe, hunt by sensing the carbon dioxide given off by insects, small rodents, large rodents…erg…and humans. They are not poisonous, but have been culpated for causing the deaths of many humans: one bite might not hurt, but after about 1,000 in a few minutes, you’re pretty much S.O.L.

Reason for this post? The natives regard the siafu ants as an au natural pesticide: when hunting through the fields of vegetables, these “carnivorous” ants are able to clean up the dead organic matter in the fields (mouse bodies, dead birds, and (heck!) even humans) and also consume the insects that would otherwise eat the crop.

A pesticide against pesticides? Siafu ants might be the answer. A little genetic programming could go a long way: they could be unleashed in a field and allowed to do their craft before being lured back via synthetic pheromones.

Some says I’m crazy, some says I ain’t.

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This entry was posted by Jeffrey Warren on Sunday, July 3rd, 2005 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.