Ok, not strictly about minis, but it is about casting in lead! HOLY SMOKES!

[Too Bo Coo]

I saw this guy who makes lead castings of fire ant hives..... Just wow!  And it looks surprisingly easy to do with our requisite skill sets!



What do you fellas think?

[Dr.Falkenhayn]

what a Jerk.Killing Ants for his own pleasure? 

[Too Bo Coo]

what a Jerk.Killing Ants for his own pleasure? 

In fairness these are not 'garden ants' but strictly 'fire ants' which at least where my parents live, are subject to exterminators because they are both numerous and potentially fatal to people.

[Johnno]

It looks pretty good all said and done. Don't know how. The ants feel about it. Bet PETA would not be too impressed either.

[Too Bo Coo]

Oh, this is btw, not my vid and I have no connection with these guys

[Dr.Falkenhayn]

Oh, this is btw, not my vid and I have no connection with these guys

  no Offense,the outcome is really amazing.I just have too much Respect for Nature,even for pesky Fire Ants 

[Dewbakuk]

Watched this earlier, he uses aluminium not lead, which is much better for the ground, if not the ants

Looked into it briefly, apparently the Fire Ant is an invasive species (imported) in the States which as has been said can be dangerous to humans. It is however having a very negative impact to the local ecosystems and is therefore on the 'please kill them all dead' list.

I was actually surprised it was a living colony. I had assumed he'd had them exterminated first as I would expect the ants to close off sections of the tunnels to protect them, much like they can do if you pour boiling water down them. You can get a lot of them but they'll probably not be wiped out.

[Valerik]

what a Jerk.Killing Ants for his own pleasure? 

Be VERY, Very grateful you have the Atlantic Ocean between you & these vile creatures.

Since arriving in my yard they have destroyed my lizard population, killed baby birds, even a young copperhead who wasn't fast enough to get away.  Bitten on the hand my fingers will swell up, and shut, like a huge mitten.

The pain starts out like a myriad of mosquito bites, then the throbbing agony starts.
Epi pens help, as does aloe & the various insect bite treatments available just take the edge off. 
Badly bitten this is a 2+ day recovery process, MUCH worse than wasps or hornets or bees.

You can't kill 'em.  You can make it inconvenient for them to remain in your yard, they will move, migrating away from the last assault on the hive.  But die, or depart?  Nah, not happening.  New colonies pop up overnight, requiring further futile attempts at eradication.

All that being said, the resultant artwork is quite exquisite.  Bet it's already time to do it again...

Valerik

[gary42]

This was pretty amazing...