Friday, January 3, 2014

Ants, and the Cough, Abide

Our first year here in Yelapa we rediscovered the remarkable work ethic of ants. A moth the size of a quarter had died and fallen to the floor right outside our baño. A line of tiny ants immediately formed to the dead body. The line followed the grout in the tile floor--left turn/right turn in the shortest path from the nearest wall, and along the base of the wall from a hole made to accommodate a water pipe, ants coming to and fro, each carrying their allotted portion of the moth, or returning for more.

In four days all sign of the moth was gone.

We were given another demonstration of this industry beginning the night before last. A much smaller moth had died on our kitchen counter. The now predictable line of tiny ants formed, and their labor continued until the only thing remaining of the moth was a bit of the dark film of its wing.

This took a little over 24 hours.

After four hours, the ginger is reduced 20%
So inspired, my scientifically-minded spouse has begun an experiment comparing the amount of time it will take this Lilliputian legion to demolish different foodstuffs of about the same size. The first item she tried was a small cube of candied ginger.  

After four hours, about mid-afternoon, I took a picture showing that the shape of the little chewy chunk is no longer distinguishable. The next--this--morning, all sign was gone.

There’s a raisin on the counter now. After that will be a chip of chocolate from our almost depleted airplane snack bag. After that, who knows? I will report the results.

As a side note, I consider this to be interesting kitchen science but not good hygiene. “You’ll just attract more ants,” is what I say. My serene spouse insists that it will localize the ants and keep them satisfied so they don’t send sorties all over our counter.

* * *

The cough [lah TOHS] abides. Up many hours during the night, wandering out our open french doors to the patio. Warm and still now that the early evening breeze has died down. Just the sloshing sound of surf, muttering and occasional bursts of laughter from a clutch of young people who always seem to be up late, hanging at the end of the pier just below us.

Stars are spread all across the clear and moonless sky. Cassiopeia seems to stay in the same place, to the north, but its W-shape rotates some 90 degrees counterclockwise between 1 and 5 AM. The Pleiades move from east to west, leading Orion, and there seems to be some heat lightning above the rim of the ridge on the other side of the cove. Peaceful, but the cough is persistent.

No comments: