Ants are objectively very horrible pests. Many species have painful stings, which for allergic people can be lethal They frequently raid food They cause massive infrastructural damage Several species are invasive and disrupt ecosystems Many are even mechanical pathogen vectors, especially in setti…

Definitely my least favorite group of the animal kingdom. Too many times I’ve picked a plastic bag containing a seedling only to be attacked by a hoard of black fire ants that had set up a home there. Super painful. I know of no one in my line of work who thinks positively about ants. Only venom…

Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking?

Actually, my granny hated ants. She would boil a kettle and pour it on the crack in the yard that the ants came out of. I don’t think it was rational. They didn’t do her any harm. So I take it back - it isn’t just you. Its you and my granny.

Well, I don’t hate ants. I like ants, like all bugs. I am just perplexed that ants dont have nearly as bad a reputation as wasps, cockroaches, spiders, etc

[image] insectilluminatigetshrekt: Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking? I’ve been doing reforestation work in Costa Rica for the last 10 years.

[image] AdamWargon: Maybe ants get a positive reputation due to storytelling, like Aesop for example? (2,500 years ago) I think this is spot on. Ant behaviors are also commonly attributed to positive values, such as “teamwork”, “great strength”. “perseverance”, etc. And thankfully not everyo…

[image] ItsMeLucy: I think this is spot on. Ant behaviors are also commonly attributed to positive values, such as “teamwork”, “great strength”. “perseverance”, etc. The funny thing is, if people actually bothered to look into the social structure of wasps or cockroaches, they could find many…

I don’t know many people who would speak positively about ants. Especially in the areas of the US where fire ants are present. Not only are they somewhat agressive and have painful bites, they actually have some bizzare attraction to electronics. If they can get in, they can gunk up electrical syste…

I do not know where you are located or to whom you are speaking, but if you read that wasp thread, you will find people doing just that, admiring wasps (again, the cockroaches are on their own). Here where I am, east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, ants are not beloved. I have observed at least 14 s…

This got me curious. After some minor googling (not going to spend loads of time on this) I found a facebook post claiming they’re attracted to the heat. They might short out the equipment, or possibly secrete formic acid and degrade circuit boards. https://m.facebook.com/groups/ElectronicParts/pos…

Is it me, or do ants have an oddly positive reputation?

Nature Talk

insectilluminatigetshrekt January 26, 2026, 12:31am 12

The funny thing is, if people actually bothered to look into the social structure of wasps or cockroaches, they could find many admirable qualities among them too.

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Is it me, or do ants have an oddly positive reputation?

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