The Ant Who Took a Coffee Break
The Ant Who Took a Coffee Break
by Curt Gunz
Once there was an ant who decided he didn’t want to work. He thought, “You know what? Gathering food is too hard. Besides, there are a bunch of ants in this ant hill. They can handle it. I think I’ll just take the morning off.”
And that is just what he did!
The other ants rushed by on their way to forage because they knew that winter was coming and they needed to get food.
Well, the ants each had an area near the ant bed to forage. But one area went unsearched because the ant who was supposed to be in that area that morning was on a coffee break.
It just so happened that a little girl had dropped a delicious red lollipop right in the area that the ant on the coffee break was supposed to be searching. It was the kind of lollipop that could feed a whole ant bed for a whole month.
Since the ant was on a coffee break no one from the ant bed found it. Instead the lollipop was harvested by the ants from the ant bed in the next yard.
The ant on the coffee break finally decided to get back to work that afternoon but by then it was too late. The lollipop was gone.
Summer ended. Autumn came and went and it was a hard winter. The ant bed did not have enough food to go around and everyone was hungry. The queen ant had to produce fewer baby ants so there were fewer worker ants the next year and the whole ant bed suffered for several years.
No one ever knew it was because one ant took a coffee break. But one lazy ant hurt everyone.
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.Proverbs 6:6-11 (NIV)
Ants are a lot of fun to watch (as long as they don’t bite you). An “Ant Farm” can be a fun way to watch them.
You can buy “Ant Farms” that have everything you need to watch them tunnel and work. You can gather your own ants or most set-ups come with a coupon for free ants (you may have to pay for shipping). The good thing about these is that usually they are “Western Harvester” ants. These work really well in ant farms. (Here’s a hint: Fire Ant do not work well in an ant farm they are too little and too mean.)
Ant Farms come in lots of different sizes and styles (and prices). Federal agricultural regulations prohibit companies from selling or shipping the queen ant. Since only the queen reproduces, the regional ecological balance is cited as the main concern. The ant farms were also not designed to house the large queen and the thousands of offspring she produces. The ants will work without the queen.
The ant farms don’t take a lot of effort from you after you get it set up. Ants work, clean and build all by themselves. Did you know that ants even bury their dead? They have special places in the ant beds where they put those who die.
Usually feeding the ants in an ant bed is just a matter of putting the food that come with the ant farm in every once in a while (you don’t have to feed and water ants every day like a dog or cat).
Ant Trivia:
What is the only continent in the world that does NOT have ants native to it?
ANTarctica
Snack Idea
Ants on a Log
Make a yummy snack that looks like ants sitting on a log.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- Celery Stick
- Peanut Butter
- Raisins
Preparation:
A very simple snack idea! Fill the center of the celery stick with peanut butter. Place a few raisins on top to be your ants. Eat and enjoy!
