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Help! Confronting the Creative Colony Mind

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The colony mind is virtually immortal. Information is passed from generation to generation supporting a creative adaptability that makes the colony a formidable adversary. Although the individual members of the colony are non-sentient, the collective intelligence expressed by their social hierarchy and specializations presents a challenge to the most knowledgeable human defenders.

What manner of creature am I describing? I won't say for now because we want your philosophical comments and advice about understanding and combating the colony mind as it manifests in any of its many forms. We often confront these creatures as so many individuals, harmless and tiny, but when attacked by them it becomes clear that each individual is only a cell in an organ (specialization) of a very large and insidious beast (the colony), nearly invisible to the eye and intangible in its form, but relentless, cunning, and willful in its sinister advance.

We confronted these creatures last Spring and spent all the Spring, Summer, and most of the Fall combating them, investing considerable money and labor to kill many, many of them. But they kept coming until the cold weather cued them to hide away for their winter's hibernation. Now, with the end of winter approaching, they have awakened and are returning to their relentless activities.

How can they be stopped? What manner of intelligence allows them to develop new strategies when old ones are defeated? How is information passed from member to member as if they were a single being? Should the colony be viewed as a single diffuse being?

My wife's comments follow below. While she was posting this morning she saw the first "swarmer" (one of the colony specializations) of the year, and is now intently rereading her substantial collection of information from professionals and other victims of the colonies' invasions, as we prepare for another year of constant struggle to save our land and home.

Samm

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

melonkali wrote:

Desperately needed ASAP: functional philosophical insights (old or original) concerning what Samm has discussed above. I don't even grasp the situation well enough to categorize it and post it in the appropriate sub-forum. (Is this an appropriate sub-forum for discussing a creature whose form is "beyond" the merely physical?)

As you might have guessed (if you've read my posts), I've already done the scientific/pragmatic research, I have adequate empirical knowledge and sufficient material weapons. However, without foundational insight, I fear that, like last year, these will prove of little use.

Last year, after initial naive mis-steps (typical rookie mistakes), I learned that potentially effective actions are counter-intuitive, that intuitive actions are counter-productive. So, why, in 80% of the real situations I faced, did I end up acting intuitively, reflexively, counter-productively? Why, at the end of a particularly exhausting day, did I pick up a tiny little demonic speck of carbon-based life-form, place him (it?) on a paper towel inside a small container, observe him for several minutes, then ask, addressing both the speck and the cosmos, "Who are you? WHO ARE YOU?!"

Insights concerning this could directly, immediately prove useful to hundreds -- I met them on situation-specific forums last year where we compared "war stories", helped ease each others' exasperated minds and exhausted bodies, offered each other strength to carry on, verbally slapped each other out of paralyzed stupors, and talked each other out of dangerous actions.

Beyond this situation, I can vaguely imagine how the same right-thinking could be applied to many clearly related situations, and the general principles should apply to much broader and more critical situations. However, at this time, I only have the cognitive ability to fight one small personal war of attrition, today, and every day, for the next 8 months.

Generally, what a philosopher might need to know about this situation (does anyone here really want me to get more specific and write one of my 3-page mini-pedias? I still have over 500 pages of last year's printouts):

1) Obviously, the target is pest/pestilence insects;

2) They will ruin your life -- after the first spring sighting, they will surround you for the next 8 months -- they will be found, en masse, in your house, in your car, on your porch, in your trees, in your mailbox, anywhere, everywhere; within a month of the first spring sighting, you'll likely reach the point where you tremble when you walk out any outside door, your life will become a 24/7 nightmare with no place of "safety", you will be exhausted and frustrated, and the season is just beginning;

3) They can never be completely eliminated, even by professionals; they will reappear every spring; control is difficult in the best of circumstances, and on a scale of 1-10, our situation is a "12" in anyone's book;

4) Control can only potentially be achieved with difficult, persistent daily actions, about two hours/day, for eight months; last year, if (due to exhaustion) I skipped two days, sometimes just one day, by day three they'd reclaimed every area I'd taken during the grueling past month, and more;

5) THE OVER-RIDING, PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM AT THE HEART OF THIS POST: What worked yesterday will not work tomorrow; they are so creatively adaptable, there are no hard rules for controlling them, just a few general principles -- the season involves an ongoing battle of wits which they usually win, but WHO IS MY OPPONENT??!!

Am I losing this battle of wits to creatures who don't even have a proper brain??!!

It's not just me -- you should read the forums:

--People burning down their houses;

--People buying illegal, sometimes military grade weapons of various types on the black market, or manufacturing them in their basements;

--Pesticide toxicity, with, sometimes, very bad results;

--One guy (last year) shut down completely, just gave up, leaned back in a chair, laughing at defeat, posting daily pictures of their "awesome" accomplishments during the past 24 hours -- while another forum member was desperately trying to shake him out of it with posts like, "DUDE!! Wake Up!! You've got to do something!! NOW!!!"

--People becoming increasingly bizarre, psychotic, and not even realizing it; they reach a point where they clearly cannot continue to fight "them", but moving from their beloved home would be equally traumatic, especially after sacrificing five years and their sanity trying to save it;

--Worst of all, you realize that in another year or two, this will probably be yourself.

So, any ideas on how I can conceptualize this situation and place it in a better perspective (one that keeps me functional and sane, at least)? What IS going on here? I don't know.

BTW: "professional" control is not a good option --- extremely expensive and rarely works, anyway. The courts are filled with lawsuits from disappointed, angry customers.

rebecca

@SammDickens,

C'mon guys -- this is the first time I can ever remember asking a group of philosophers to help me with a REAL problem, you know, something that actually matters in mundane day-to-day existence. For sanity's sake, I seriously must enter the "satanic season" with a deeper understanding of this situation -- my usual theological and empirical paradigms fail me.

The crux of my original post (which Samm had to post on my behalf after a "swarmer" nearly flew up my nose), edited by me for clarification (the entirety of that post is below my signature):

5) THE OVER-RIDING, PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM AT THE HEART OF THIS POST: These little creatures seem to have an exceptionally creative form of colony mind. What worked against them yesterday will not work tomorrow. They are so creatively adaptable that even seasoned professionals have no hard rules for dealing with them, just a few general principles. And just like all who endeavor to lessen their numbers, I will once again find myself in an ongoing battle of wits, probably losing, but one thing I must understand, for sanity's sake: WHO IS MY OPPONENT??!!

How am I losing a battle of wits to a bunch of tiny exoskeletal specks?? They don't even have a proper brain!! This isn't right!!

I ask once more, who is my opponent? What is the nature of that which engages me in this struggle? You say "insects", but am I not smarter than insects? Once I learned the modern history of their interaction with mankind, once I learned the details of strategies that have been used, successfully and unsuccessfully, against them, should I not be able to out-wit them?

Of course, I'm no philosopher, and perhaps I've failed in my basic understanding of what philosophy means. I thought my trivial situation might fit into a larger, broader, philosophical paradigm, but, on re-evaluation, I can see why it might not.

Bummer. Oh well, I've still got 500 printed pages of chemical and entomological expertise, and the problem-specific forum support groups I mentioned in my post, and I could easily view this situation, theologically, as a battle against Satan and His Forces of Darkness.

And I still have a few old philosophy textbooks which I can at least use to SWAT THE DAMNABLE THINGS with, since those pages apparently cannot serve any other useful purpose....

rebecca

MY ORIGINAL POST:

Quote:
Originally Posted by melonkali
Desperately needed ASAP: functional philosophical insights (old or original) concerning what Samm has discussed above. I don't even grasp the situation well enough to categorize it and post it in the appropriate sub-forum. (Is this an appropriate sub-forum for discussing a creature whose form is "beyond" the merely physical?)

As you might have guessed (if you've read my posts), I've already done the scientific/pragmatic research, I have adequate empirical knowledge and sufficient material weapons. However, without foundational insight, I fear that, like last year, these will prove of little use.

Last year, after initial naive mis-steps (typical rookie mistakes), I learned that potentially effective actions are counter-intuitive, that intuitive actions are counter-productive. So, why, in 80% of the real situations I faced, did I end up acting intuitively, reflexively, counter-productively? Why, at the end of a particularly exhausting day, did I pick up a tiny little demonic speck of carbon-based life-form, place him (it?) on a paper towel inside a small container, observe him for several minutes, then ask, addressing both the speck and the cosmos, "Who are you? WHO ARE YOU?!"

Insights concerning this could directly, immediately prove useful to hundreds -- I met them on situation-specific forums last year where we compared "war stories", helped ease each others' exasperated minds and exhausted bodies, offered each other strength to carry on, verbally slapped each other out of paralyzed stupors, and talked each other out of dangerous actions.

Beyond this situation, I can vaguely imagine how the same right-thinking could be applied to many clearly related situations, and the general principles should apply to much broader and more critical situations. However, at this time, I only have the cognitive ability to fight one small personal war of attrition, today, and every day, for the next 8 months.

Generally, what a philosopher might need to know about this situation (does anyone here really want me to get more specific and write one of my 3-page mini-pedias? I still have over 500 pages of last year's printouts):

1) Obviously, the target is pest/pestilence insects;

2) They will ruin your life -- after the first spring sighting, they will surround you for the next 8 months -- they will be found, en masse, in your house, in your car, on your porch, in your trees, in your mailbox, anywhere, everywhere; within a month of the first spring sighting, you'll likely reach the point where you tremble when you walk out any outside door, your life will become a 24/7 nightmare with no place of "safety", you will be exhausted and frustrated, and the season is just beginning;

3) They can never be completely eliminated, even by professionals; they will reappear every spring; control is difficult in the best of circumstances, and on a scale of 1-10, our situation is a "12" in anyone's book;

4) Control can only potentially be achieved with difficult, persistent daily actions, about two hours/day, for eight months; last year, if (due to exhaustion) I skipped two days, sometimes just one day, by day three they'd reclaimed every area I'd taken during the grueling past month, and more;

5) THE OVER-RIDING, PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM AT THE HEART OF THIS POST: What worked yesterday will not work tomorrow; they are so creatively adaptable, there are no hard rules for controlling them, just a few general principles -- the season involves an ongoing battle of wits which they usually win, but WHO IS MY OPPONENT??!!

Am I losing this battle of wits to creatures who don't even have a proper brain??!!

It's not just me -- you should read the forums:

--People burning down their houses;

--People buying illegal, sometimes military grade weapons of various types on the black market, or manufacturing them in their basements;

--Pesticide toxicity, with, sometimes, very bad results;

--One guy (last year) shut down completely, just gave up, leaned back in a chair, laughing at defeat, posting daily pictures of their "awesome" accomplishments during the past 24 hours -- while another forum member was desperately trying to shake him out of it with posts like, "DUDE!! Wake Up!! You've got to do something!! NOW!!!"

--People becoming increasingly bizarre, psychotic, and not even realizing it; they reach a point where they clearly cannot continue to fight "them", but moving from their beloved home would be equally traumatic, especially after sacrificing five years and their sanity trying to save it;

--Worst of all, you realize that in another year or two, this will probably be yourself.

So, any ideas on how I can conceptualize this situation and place it in a better perspective (one that keeps me functional and sane, at least)? What IS going on here? I don't know.

BTW: "professional" control is not a good option --- extremely expensive and rarely works, anyway. The courts are filled with lawsuits from disappointed, angry customers.

rebecca

@melonkali,

Is there any suggestion in the scientific literature that these insects are evolving, in the same way that microorganisms evolve by random mutation and artificial selection by antibiotics? I would not have thought that that was possible on such a short time scale. The question is, indeed: if you are not up against the Blind Watchmaker, then who or what are you up against? And I would have thought that that was a scientific as well as a philosophical question, and that an answer would be known. What do university departments of entomology say? What do those 500 printed pages, and those problem-specific support groups, say in answer to your question? It seems precise and factual enough: learning appears to be taking place, and if it is not by the known process of genetic selection because of human countermeasures, then how?

@Twirlip,

Twirlip;136412 wrote:

Is there any suggestion in the scientific literature that these insects are evolving, in the same way that microorganisms evolve by random mutation and artificial selection by antibiotics? I would not have thought that that was possible on such a short time scale. The question is, indeed: if you are not up against the Blind Watchmaker, then who or what are you up against? And I would have thought that that was a scientific as well as a philosophical question, and that an answer would be known. What do university departments of entomology say? What do those 500 printed pages, and those problem-specific support groups, say in answer to your question? It seems precise and factual enough: learning appears to be taking place, and if it is not by the known process of genetic selection because of human countermeasures, then how?

Except for the irritation factor and having to spend so much time and money dealing with them, the insect infestation would only be another of life's little pains in the ****. But it has also been an education for us in the complex interactions of these non-sentient creatures.

I had a general notion that the social body of these creatures is more effectively intelligent than the individual creatures who comprise that social body. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Melonkali was looking up info tonight and found that the terminology used is "collective intelligence" in biology circles, while computer jocks refer to "swarm intelligence" when they try to incorporate its principles in their work with Artificial Intelligence. It is a generally remarkable process that remains little understood by researchers.

I think it raises a lot of interesting questions about intelligence and the operation of the human brain. It suggests that the process by which intelligence and learning occurs is not the exclusive property of humans, and may in fact be possible in many surprising scenarios. The movie, Solaris, is very suggestive of this where an ocean planet seems to have become self-aware and evolved a very complex and powerful intelligence. Is it possible, do you imagine, that even an environment like the body of a star with its nuclear furnace throbbing within its core could foster a systemic process capable of replicating intelligence?

Samm

@Twirlip,

Twirlip;136412 wrote:

Is there any suggestion in the scientific literature that these insects are evolving, in the same way that microorganisms evolve by random mutation and artificial selection by antibiotics? I would not have thought that that was possible on such a short time scale. The question is, indeed: if you are not up against the Blind Watchmaker, then who or what are you up against? And I would have thought that that was a scientific as well as a philosophical question, and that an answer would be known. What do university departments of entomology say? What do those 500 printed pages, and those problem-specific support groups, say in answer to your question? It seems precise and factual enough: learning appears to be taking place, and if it is not by the known process of genetic selection because of human countermeasures, then how?

Twirl,

Thanks for the insight. Your observations were gratefully received, and pointed me in a slightly different direction. I believe the type of analysis you provided repesents one way in which philosophy can prove useful to researchers in many other fields. Isn't this the kind of "functional" philosophy advocated by modern "soft" positivists and "critical analysts"?

After reading your response, I realized the information I'd read did not explore, in adequate depth, rapid collective-intelligence "creative responses", although these critters' (carpenter ants, BTW) uncanny adaptive ability is well documented by anyone who's had experience with them, as witnessed by professional articles and forum members. One "rookie mistake" I made last year was to act on "absolute truths" I found in popular and professional articles. As things went from bad to worse, and I consulted other articles, I discovered conflicting, contradictory "absolute truths".

Finally an article by a seasoned veteran exterminator explained why he could not offer absolute truths, only rough guidelines, based on his years of experience. As I read his anecdotes and advice, I realized he considered the unique nature, the many variables, of every situation, almost like a military strategist or tactician facing a worthy opponent. He never failed to consider the intelligence, the adaptability, the unpredictablity of these ants -- he, like scholars, employed the term "collective intelligence", but from a more pragmatic perspective.

I've learned that in some social insects, this "collective intelligence" seems to function, in every respect, as one brain with thousands of scattered neurons; actual intelligence is increased with number, and apparently limited only by the number of ants in a colony. Ants top the "collective intelligence" hierarchy; carpenter ants would be included in almost any entomologist's top-three intelligent-ants list, often coming in at #1. Some believe they ARE smarter than humans, some say they come in "a close 2nd" to us, and others say "depends on the number in the colony, since colony intelligence increases with number."

Despite sensational claims all over the net, IMO this is clearly NOT the same phenomenon as humans' (and other mammals') "collective intelligence" which, when examined, seems (to me) more of a "cooperative intelligence", one which is still limited by the "smartest ONE". We can accumulate a common source of knowledge, like any library, but intelligently responding to that knowledge still seems, to me, limited by individual intelligence.

While the mechanisms for ant communication are well documented, scientists are still in elementary stages researching the "how" and "why" of even the most basic ant behavior: food trails. The more complex behaviors, for example, the sophistication observed in an emergency "colony move and scatter" situation, have legitimate researchers baffled.

I'm presently contemplating why I have so much trouble comprehending this "collective identity" of carpenter ants, and still wondering if their clever ideas and responses do not represent something more than an emergent property. They can "think on their little legs" faster than I ever could. Hmmmmm.....

Another problem plaguing me is the realization that I, one of the god-human rulers of this world, may NOT be "the decider" in this battle of wits, that I may be outsmarted and defeated by a higher intelligence, emergent property or no.

Thanks again, Twirl -- at least you've got me "thinking" again, and that will help me stay sane this season,
rebecca

@melonkali,

I heard some guy on the radio talking about how he figured out how ants find their way back to the hive. His theory was that they counted their steps, so he tested it by cutting some of their legs off at the knee, and adding stilts to others. The ones with stilts overshot the nest, and the amputated ones undershot it. Interesting stuff, but doesn't seem like a line of research I'd go into...

@SammDickens,

I am mostly wondering how a collective society of any kind can share information from individual to individual or from individual to group so effectively as to appear to operate as a single being, a single body. That is part of the philosophical aspect of this situation to me.

In our bodies, it is the nervous system that controls and coordinates the various organs as a single, cohesive organism, the brain being the control center of the nervous system. Can we apply this template to the society of ants which is diffuse rather than conjunctive? What means of communication, what language, disburses information to and fro throughout the society? What center of control, if any, directs and controls the response to information?

Any ideas on this?

Samm

@SammDickens,

Samm;136878 wrote:

I am mostly wondering how a collective society of any kind can share information from individual to individual or from individual to group so effectively as to appear to operate as a single being, a single body. That is part of the philosophical aspect of this situation to me.

In our bodies, it is the nervous system that controls and coordinates the various organs as a single, cohesive organism, the brain being the control center of the nervous system. Can we apply this template to the society of ants which is diffuse rather than conjunctive? What means of communication, what language, disburses information to and fro throughout the society? What center of control, if any, directs and controls the response to information?

Any ideas on this?

Samm

I wouldn't think there is a center of control. I know when they studied how animals travel in herds or flocks, they found that they could simulate it quite easily with a simple rule. Something like "stay a certain distance form the nearest group of birds". It seems quite possible that a basic set of rules could create immensely complex behavior.

@Jebediah,

But could a simple set of rules create the kind of rapidly adaptive intelligence that seems to be in evidence here? It would seem unlikely.

@Twirlip,

Jebediah;136875 wrote:

I heard some guy on the radio talking about how he figured out how ants find their way back to the hive. His theory was that they counted their steps, so he tested it by cutting some of their legs off at the knee, and adding stilts to others. The ones with stilts overshot the nest, and the amputated ones undershot it. Interesting stuff, but doesn't seem like a line of research I'd go into...

Hmm... They seem to be relying on something that I'd have trouble correlating with their other four known "guidance systems": chemical (pheromones), tactile, visual landmarks and canopy (moon/sun, possibly high leaves in a rain forest environment).

Jebediah;136901 wrote:

I wouldn't think there is a center of control. I know when they studied how animals travel in herds or flocks, they found that they could simulate it quite easily with a simple rule. Something like "stay a certain distance form the nearest group of birds". It seems quite possible that a basic set of rules could create immensely complex behavior.

I'm not familiar with bird mechanisms, but that sounds reasonable; I've never studied fish schools, either. The mammalian herd/pack animals which I know about operate as individuals within a hierarchy (leader).

Twirlip;136903 wrote:

But could a simple set of rules create the kind of rapidly adaptive intelligence that seems to be in evidence here? It would seem unlikely.

Scientists are just now gaining some elementary understanding about food trails, which is one of the most simple, predictable behaviors ants exhibit.

Carpenter ant colony/satellite structures virtually guarantee continuance -- unless you uncover and destroy the well-hidden parent colony and all its equally well-hidden satellite colonies (up to 24 -- some of them probably inside your house), the ants can easily replace and rebuild.

I'm fascinated by their aphid ranches. Carpenter ants are one of a few ant species who maintain aphid herds. They regularly herd and/or carry (depending, apparently, on the distance involved) their aphids to "good" leaves, then either herd or carry them back to a corral near the colony, where the ants milk the aphids for yummy "aphid honeydew". Sometimes, depending on ??, the ants choose to simply tend the herd in situ instead of returning to the corral; in that case, workers carry honeydew back to the colony in their digestive tracks (these ants often feed each other by vomiting). Tending aphids includes not only moving them to fresh pastures, but also culling out unhealthy aphids, capturing new aphids, and protecting the herd 24/7 from predators.

I read about an ant-lover who constructed an enclosed carpenter ant farm. Instead of feeding them, he devised some kind of tube/tunnel to a nearby forest, then connected it to the enclosure. Whichever workers were on "forage duty" (usually 2% to 5% -- the maximum number of workers who ever leave a colony at the same time) walked through the tube to the forest, and later returned vomiting honeydew pizza for all!

There is sooooo much more, I'm actually starting to feel badly about the necessity of lessening their numbers. However, besides the nuisance of having ants running all over the house, in our food, in our bed, they're notoriously destructive to a home's electrical system. They travel along electrical wires into breaker-boxes, computers, tv's, etc. And they're gradually weakening four great, old tall trees in our yard -- if one of those comes crashing down on the roof...

I can't hate them anymore. They're described as "lazy" ants -- why extend the effort to build a large mound with an elaborate underground labyrinth, which makes you a sitting duck anyway, when there's a perfectly good home, with lots of natural hiding places and trails, sitting right in front of you (maybe a large tree or a residence)? I can identify with that.

They never attack mammals or birds. They don't even have stingers -- if you pick one up, he looks kind of comical, chewing at your hand with his little mandibles.

The more I learn about them, the more I admire them. I don't see them as reflexive automatons; I see intelligence at work, something greater than any individual ant. Perhaps they are directed through those newly discovered "control" or "director" genes I recently heard about in a PBS documentary. I'll research those a little further.

Who knows what game's afoot? Perhaps the beginning of a major paradigm shift?

rebecca

@SammDickens,

there's a philosopher, kind of, called Ed Wilson, who is an ant biologist. You might find him interesting. E. O Wilson. Quite famous. Materialist though.

@melonkali,

Cuticular hydrocarbons may be of interest to you:
http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2007/vol3-6//pdf/gmr0324.pdf

The study basically outlines there there are chemical distinctions between members in ant colonies and this can explain some elements of ant communication. I do not understand the all the implications of the study, but I thought it might be of interest :-)

- Minimal.

@Minimal,

I was wondering if it might be possible to address a question about ant colony intelligence to a university faculty such as the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton:
Faculty Research Interests
Contact Us
I don't know how receptive university research departments might be to such enquiries from members of the public, but it might be worth trying.

@Twirlip,

Jebediah;136901 wrote:

I wouldn't think there is a center of control. I know when they studied how animals travel in herds or flocks, they found that they could simulate it quite easily with a simple rule. Something like "stay a certain distance form the nearest group of birds". It seems quite possible that a basic set of rules could create immensely complex behavior.

I think that's our understanding too, Jebediah. The queen does not seem to be a leader, only a procreator. The idea of a rule--obviously you do not mean a communicated rule but one that is innate, instinctive--is probably correct, although I don't know if science has established it yet.

jeeprs;137156 wrote:

there's a philosopher, kind of, called Ed Wilson, who is an ant biologist. You might find him interesting. E. O Wilson. Quite famous. Materialist though.

Thanks, jeeprs. melonkali is going to look him up this morning and see what he has to say.

Minimal;137164 wrote:

Cuticular hydrocarbons may be of interest to you:
http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2007/vol3-6//pdf/gmr0324.pdf

The study basically outlines there there are chemical distinctions between members in ant colonies and this can explain some elements of ant communication. I do not understand the all the implications of the study, but I thought it might be of interest :-)

- Minimal.

Cuticular hydrocarbons. What an interesting word! Thanks, Minimal. Jebediah has suggested that there might be instinctive "rules" that control there behaviors, and this information rather supports that idea.

Twirlip;137167 wrote:

I was wondering if it might be possible to address a question about ant colony intelligence to a university faculty such as the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton:
Faculty Research Interests
Contact Us
I don't know how receptive university research departments might be to such enquiries from members of the public, but it might be worth trying.

Great idea, Twirlip! We'll give 'er a go and see what we might get.

Thank you all so much for your helpful and considerate responses. Our continuing research (melonkali is an ace researcher) has provided some interesting anecdotal information we'd like to share with you regarding carpenter ant behaviors.

Ants like (dry) pet foods, but they dip them in water before ingesting them to soften them and make them more digestable.

Ants maintain their aphid herds remarkably, as melonkali has already mentioned I believe. They keep the herd at an appropriate size for the nest or colony, removing aphids that do not produce well and adding new ones as necessary to maintain just enough for their needs.

Carpenter ants are also very tidy, keeping their galleries very clean. They remove any dead ants or aphids, and disinfect their areas with a plant resin (whose disinfectant qualities were discovered by our scientists as a result of studying these ants).

Often dead colony mates (ants) are eaten, but if the ant died from "invisible" causes--bait toxins or pesticides designed to eliminate colonies by vomit exchanges--, then the dead ants are never eaten, never ever eaten.

There's much more of course, but this gives you a hint about the sophistication of their society.

Thanks again, everyone!
Samm and "melonkali"

@SammDickens,

Wow. I knew that collective consciousness existed as a concept, and have read a little bit about ants in the past, but the extent to which it's true is astounding. I can hardly believe some of the stuff you guys have been posting about. Ants herding aphids? Amazing.
I've long been curious about the nature of consciousness. In our case, we seem to have a brain that acts as a super computer, processing information and resulting in a conscious entity.
In the case of ants, individuals with little personal intelligence and barely any brains at all are able to adapt as a group by means of "swarm intelligence".
Someone mentioned the possibility of an ocean gaining a form of consciousness in the same manner an ant colony does, with all the aquatic life forms acting as the individuals.
But the most curious case, I propose, is in plant life. How conscious is an immense network of fungi underground? Could electro-chemical communication be taking place? Could the network act as a brain much like our own?
What about the universe? Our solar system has 9 planets, our galaxy has millions of solar systems and the universe has millions of galaxies. Could we extrapolate what is happening with ants and could possibly be happening with plant life to the entire universe?
One giant cosmic brain? "God"?
I'm just rambling...

Please, keep us updated on your war of attrition with those carpenter ants!

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