Ant colony artist responds to fierce ‘insect killing’ criticism - VIDEO

An ‘artist’ who creates and sells intricate casts of ant colonies by filling the subterranean mini caverns with molten aluminium has responded to heavy criticism.Footage showing how the US man creates his mould has garnered 15million views since being uploaded to YouTube last month, but while many are in awe of the result, some have branded him a ‘killer’.The revealing works of art are made by the liquid filling the tunnels and chambers of an ant nest, wiping out all of the insects inside, before being dug up, brushed down and mounted on a wooden base.The objet d’art in the video was the cast of a colony 18in deep and 13in wide.The owner of anthillart.com, which sells the finished products on eBay to homeowners, collectors and schools, has defended his methodology saying that many of the colonies belong to an invasive species of ant – the fire/Solenopsis ant – which are already subject to eradication programmes.He added: ‘The other ants (usually carpenter ants), I try to find abandoned nests but it doesn’t always work out. Either way, I do it sparingly and the property is still over run with them.’However, his explanation hasn’t appeased everyone.‘Your video and art made me first sick to my stomach, and then made me so angry. How can you call yourself an artist? Is murder an art? You think so obviously. Guess you never grew out of your childish need to kill animals, insects and who knows what else, in order to feel powerful. These are innocent creatures with amazing colonies which took them who knows how long to build. You are in their world, a nuclear weapon! How could you do this? You should be ashamed with yourself,’ said one viewer on the website’s Facebook page.Jorge Montes said: ‘101th time: ‘What if I poured aluminum in your house.’Insect conservation trust Buglife said it would only disapprove if there were ants present in the colony.Spokesman Paul Hetherington told Metro: ‘If the nest is empty we would support this casting as it raises awareness to the fantastic architectural prowess of ants, however if the ants are still present it is an extremely cruel way to kill them of which we disapprove as they are effectively boiled alive.This isn’t the first time aluminium has been used to make a mould of an ant colony – as the material is sturdier than plasterRenown entomologist Walter R. Tschinkel is spearheading a study on the nest architecture of ants using aluminium, in addition to dental plaster and wax, for casting materials.(metro.co.uk)ANN.Az