6 ms·

A remote island's battle against seabird-killing ants (2015)

125 points by hycaria 5y ago

michaelcampbell 5y ago
Well that's horrifying.
- drdeadringer 5y ago
  I agree. I also sense a desperate Hollywood clinging to this as a "reboot" to 'Them!'.
  - dgritsko 5y ago
    Time to re-read "Leiningen Versus the Ants". http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lvta.html http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lvta.html
EMM_386 5y ago
The ants arrived on driftwood, it doesn't seem like there was any unnatural cause. By trying to save these seabirds, they are actually messing with nature and the evolutionary process of the island.
- macintux 5y ago
  But helping the overall ecosystem of the planet. We’ve made it very difficult for birds and other animals. It’s ok to pick winners when you’ve already broken everything past the point where it’s a healthy planet.
  - minsc__and__boo 5y ago
    Especially when you've unnaturally extended out the atoll multiple times, making it easier for the invasive ants to get a foothold in these endangered bird's natural habitat.
  - blix 5y ago
    I don't really feel that maintaining the bird population above the plutonium and chemical weapons landfill really moves the needle on the global ecosystem either way. This is a vanity project. If they were serious about the global ecosystem they wouldn't be considering insecticides.
    - xoa 5y ago
      >I don't really feel that maintaining the bird population above the plutonium and chemical weapons landfill really moves the needle on the global ecosystem either way. Oh, you don't feel that way huh? Never mind little details like >"Today more than 5,700 tropicbird pairs nest on the island, or nearly half the estimated global population." Half the global population left! But what is that in the face of your feelings? 6 months of intense brutal lonely activity, volunteered in a hazardous zone with little hope of any outside support, that has been extremely successful, and it's a "vanity project"!? If they were serious!?!? Really :(? I've volunteered for hurricane clean up in terrible totaled mobile parks that were some of the most unpleasant conditions I've ever faced in my life but they were a lot less harsh than this sounds. I got to go home at the end of the day for one. Perhaps if humans hadn't introduced rats and destroyed/taken over habitats for birds worldwide ants sometimes drifting onto an island would be a different thing, but as other comments have said we have. Your comment is upsetting and horribly uncharitable.
      - blix 5y ago
        Human activity currently puts about a million species at risk of extinction [1]. I don't feel picking a few, coincidentally aesthetically pleasing species as winners really moves the needle in terms of the health of the global ecosystem. Aggressively spraying poisons into the environment has decimated insect populations across the globe and, consequently is also thought to threaten bird populations which eat these insects. It is a short-sighted solution. The harshness of the conditions for the humans choosing to do this task really has no bearing whatsoever on the task's impact on the global ecosystem. For someone so critical of feelings, that's quite an emotional appeal you have going there. [1] https://www-nature-com.mines.idm.oclc.org/articles/d41586-019-01448-4 https://www-nature-com.mines.idm.oclc.org/articles/d41586-01...
- didibus 5y ago
  Technically, we're part of the natural ecosystem as well...
  - alangibson 5y ago
    Post-Green revolution that's very debatable. We've developed tech to basically exempt ourselves from natural processes and ecosystems. For now at least...
- AlexandrB 5y ago
  > Notorious invaders likely native to West Africa or perhaps Asia, crazy ants cross the high seas on driftwood or as stowaways on vessels... It doesn't seem to mention which is the culprit in this case, but it may be an unnatural cause after all - especially given the distance to this island.
- renewiltord 5y ago
  Yeah but I don’t give a fuck about nature doing natural things. I give a lot of fucks about ensuring that eco diversity is preserved and right now that means hill climbing. I’m okay with local optima because I know mankind survived in one.
- OneEyedRobot 5y ago
  but birds outrank ants.
- BurningFrog 5y ago
  Birds are cute. Ants are creepy. This is the current evolutionary force. Over time, all life on Earth will evolve to be cute.
yardie 5y ago
Sounds like something I would have signed up for as a fresh college grad who wasn't quite ready to join corporate America.
Permit 5y ago
This article is from 2015. It looks like this year (2021) they announced that they have removed all of the ants from Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge: https://lmtribune.com/outdoors/crazy-ant-strike-team-completes-its-mission-eradicates-menace-from-atoll/article_1a49a67b-a48b-500e-89c9-1d80798fc9d3.html https://lmtribune.com/outdoors/crazy-ant-strike-team-complet...
- dang 5y ago
  Thanks! We've changed the URL to that from https://www.audubon.org/magazine/july-august-2015/one-remote-islands-battle-against-acid https://www.audubon.org/magazine/july-august-2015/one-remote.... Edit: changed back since people made reasonable objections.
  - geuis 5y ago
    Is that really the right thing to do? The original article was interesting on its own merits. It’s a good follow up that the teams have been successful, but that link probably should just be pinned as a top comment reply.
  - jvdvegt 5y ago
    The new URL is not available from Europe (http errorcode 451). This works though: https://archive.st/archive/2021/8/lmtribune.com/dxk9/lmtribune.com/outdoors/crazy-ant-strike-team-completes-its-mission-eradicates-menace-from-atoll/article_1a49a67b-a48b-500e-89c9-1d80798fc9d3.html https://archive.st/archive/2021/8/lmtribune.com/dxk9/lmtribu...
- WalterBright 5y ago
  I'm curious. The 2015 article said they'd killed 99% of the ants, but it took 6 more years to kill the rest? There's more to the story.
  - MiddleEndian 5y ago
    It's like software delivery. You're always 80% done!
withants 5y ago
with ants
greeneggs 5y ago
Here's a similar story about eliminating Argentine ants from Santa Cruz Island (near Los Angeles, California): http://www.californiaislands.net/argentine-ants http://www.californiaislands.net/argentine-ants The page was last updated in 2016. I'm not sure of the current status of the project.
gscott 5y ago
Video tour of the island by one of the volunteers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrRfIbuwFf0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrRfIbuwFf0

125 points by hycaria 5y ago

michaelcampbell 5y ago

Well that's horrifying.

drdeadringer 5y ago
I agree. I also sense a desperate Hollywood clinging to this as a "reboot" to 'Them!'.
- dgritsko 5y ago
  Time to re-read "Leiningen Versus the Ants". http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lvta.html http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lvta.html

EMM_386 5y ago

The ants arrived on driftwood, it doesn't seem like there was any unnatural cause. By trying to save these seabirds, they are actually messing with nature and the evolutionary process of the island.

macintux 5y ago
But helping the overall ecosystem of the planet. We’ve made it very difficult for birds and other animals. It’s ok to pick winners when you’ve already broken everything past the point where it’s a healthy planet.
- minsc__and__boo 5y ago
  Especially when you've unnaturally extended out the atoll multiple times, making it easier for the invasive ants to get a foothold in these endangered bird's natural habitat.
- blix 5y ago
  I don't really feel that maintaining the bird population above the plutonium and chemical weapons landfill really moves the needle on the global ecosystem either way. This is a vanity project. If they were serious about the global ecosystem they wouldn't be considering insecticides.
  - xoa 5y ago
    >I don't really feel that maintaining the bird population above the plutonium and chemical weapons landfill really moves the needle on the global ecosystem either way. Oh, you don't feel that way huh? Never mind little details like >"Today more than 5,700 tropicbird pairs nest on the island, or nearly half the estimated global population." Half the global population left! But what is that in the face of your feelings? 6 months of intense brutal lonely activity, volunteered in a hazardous zone with little hope of any outside support, that has been extremely successful, and it's a "vanity project"!? If they were serious!?!? Really :(? I've volunteered for hurricane clean up in terrible totaled mobile parks that were some of the most unpleasant conditions I've ever faced in my life but they were a lot less harsh than this sounds. I got to go home at the end of the day for one. Perhaps if humans hadn't introduced rats and destroyed/taken over habitats for birds worldwide ants sometimes drifting onto an island would be a different thing, but as other comments have said we have. Your comment is upsetting and horribly uncharitable.
    - blix 5y ago
      Human activity currently puts about a million species at risk of extinction [1]. I don't feel picking a few, coincidentally aesthetically pleasing species as winners really moves the needle in terms of the health of the global ecosystem. Aggressively spraying poisons into the environment has decimated insect populations across the globe and, consequently is also thought to threaten bird populations which eat these insects. It is a short-sighted solution. The harshness of the conditions for the humans choosing to do this task really has no bearing whatsoever on the task's impact on the global ecosystem. For someone so critical of feelings, that's quite an emotional appeal you have going there. [1] https://www-nature-com.mines.idm.oclc.org/articles/d41586-019-01448-4 https://www-nature-com.mines.idm.oclc.org/articles/d41586-01...
didibus 5y ago
Technically, we're part of the natural ecosystem as well...
- alangibson 5y ago
  Post-Green revolution that's very debatable. We've developed tech to basically exempt ourselves from natural processes and ecosystems. For now at least...
AlexandrB 5y ago
> Notorious invaders likely native to West Africa or perhaps Asia, crazy ants cross the high seas on driftwood or as stowaways on vessels... It doesn't seem to mention which is the culprit in this case, but it may be an unnatural cause after all - especially given the distance to this island.
renewiltord 5y ago
Yeah but I don’t give a fuck about nature doing natural things. I give a lot of fucks about ensuring that eco diversity is preserved and right now that means hill climbing. I’m okay with local optima because I know mankind survived in one.
OneEyedRobot 5y ago
but birds outrank ants.
BurningFrog 5y ago
Birds are cute. Ants are creepy. This is the current evolutionary force. Over time, all life on Earth will evolve to be cute.

yardie 5y ago

Sounds like something I would have signed up for as a fresh college grad who wasn't quite ready to join corporate America.

Permit 5y ago

This article is from 2015. It looks like this year (2021) they announced that they have removed all of the ants from Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge: https://lmtribune.com/outdoors/crazy-ant-strike-team-completes-its-mission-eradicates-menace-from-atoll/article_1a49a67b-a48b-500e-89c9-1d80798fc9d3.html https://lmtribune.com/outdoors/crazy-ant-strike-team-complet...

dang 5y ago
Thanks! We've changed the URL to that from https://www.audubon.org/magazine/july-august-2015/one-remote-islands-battle-against-acid https://www.audubon.org/magazine/july-august-2015/one-remote.... Edit: changed back since people made reasonable objections.
- geuis 5y ago
  Is that really the right thing to do? The original article was interesting on its own merits. It’s a good follow up that the teams have been successful, but that link probably should just be pinned as a top comment reply.
- jvdvegt 5y ago
  The new URL is not available from Europe (http errorcode 451). This works though: https://archive.st/archive/2021/8/lmtribune.com/dxk9/lmtribune.com/outdoors/crazy-ant-strike-team-completes-its-mission-eradicates-menace-from-atoll/article_1a49a67b-a48b-500e-89c9-1d80798fc9d3.html https://archive.st/archive/2021/8/lmtribune.com/dxk9/lmtribu...
WalterBright 5y ago
I'm curious. The 2015 article said they'd killed 99% of the ants, but it took 6 more years to kill the rest? There's more to the story.
- MiddleEndian 5y ago
  It's like software delivery. You're always 80% done!

withants 5y ago

with ants

greeneggs 5y ago

Here's a similar story about eliminating Argentine ants from Santa Cruz Island (near Los Angeles, California): http://www.californiaislands.net/argentine-ants http://www.californiaislands.net/argentine-ants The page was last updated in 2016. I'm not sure of the current status of the project.

gscott 5y ago

Video tour of the island by one of the volunteers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrRfIbuwFf0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrRfIbuwFf0