Delicious Brazilian Ants & the Pesticides Killing Them

There was an article in The New York Times yesterday that was the embodiment of seasonal and local eating. It described the residents of Silveiras, Brazil, who feast on içás, or queen ants (which taste like mint, according to one resident):

"The thunderous spring rains in October and November drive the ants out of the ground, and for a few short weeks Silveiras becomes a frenzy of ant hunting. Residents stock up, cleaning the içás and freezing them in one and two-liter bottles to get through until the next season."

According to the article, the generations-old tradition is threatened, though, as pesticides (shocker) are suspected of killing many of the giant ants:

"The principal culprits are pesticides used on eucalyptus trees that are planted to produce cellulose for paper and other products, residents and local officials said."

While the alleged killing of edible ants by pesticides in Brazil may seem a little exotic, the same needless destruction is happening to honey bees in the United States.

I’ll discuss the poisoning of our bees tomorrow.