Last Thursday, Joy and the kids were able to observe how red ant eggs and larvae are harvested. Before this, we were blissfully ignorant that red ant eggs and larvae were edible. As a matter of fact, we consider red ants to be our mortal enemies as they pack a nasty sting.
The pictures on this page show the basket the eggs/larvae were collected in (above) and how it is raised up to the red ant nest in the tree. The holder of the basket pole has to bump the nest to shake the red ants into the basket while at the same time shaking the pole to keep the red ants from climbing down the pole and stinging the holder. When the basket is full enough, it is dumped into a bucket of water and the eggs and larvae are scooped out (below). One is guaranteed to be stung in the process.
Joy wondered if all this effort was worth the amount of food produced. She got to find out when the egg gatherers offered her a raw red ant larva to munch on. Joy gathered her courage and thought, "How bad can it be?" and promptly crunched one of the little critters. Later she described it as something like eating a grape. The delighted "eggers" were happy to offer Joy more. She politely declined. But the next day, Joy had another opportunity to sample these delicacies as the neighbor brought over some stir fried red ant eggs. You can see her trial of one spoonful above. She again politely declined to eat any more.
In the final analysis, Joy doesn't think it is worth the effort. So it looks like we will not go into the red ant egg business. I (Tom) have no opinion as I was away at language class when all this happened. I'm only glad that Joy had the opportunity to experience such a tasty treat.
Blessings to you all.
