# Ants should be less edible

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [May 25, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241 "2014-05-25T00:38:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![The\_Lone\_Badger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/the_lone_badger/32/8063_2.png) [@The\_Lone\_Badger](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/The_Lone_Badger)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/1 "2014-05-25T00:38:28Z")

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Giant ants provide a trivial pretty much unlimited source of food at the moment. And, well, have you ever smelled crushed ants? They’re not going to be tasty.

Suggestion: Butchered ants produce ‘acrid meat’. This can be cooked and eaten, but with substantial negative Enjoyability and a chance of throwing up.

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**Author:** ![Garm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58f4c7/32.png) [@Garm](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Garm)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/2 "2014-05-25T00:44:29Z")

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Well technically insects have rather nutritious meat extremely rich in protein yada yada.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/3 "2014-05-25T01:16:45Z")

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If ants are too weak I’m far more interested in making their delicious meats harder to get than devaluing them. I think they haven’t been updated since some of the gun adjustments, they may bear some looking at.

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**Author:** ![FunsizeNinja123](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/funsizeninja123/32/118_2.png) [@FunsizeNinja123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunsizeNinja123)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/4 "2014-05-25T01:19:18Z")

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Ants aren’t that hostile… Last time I faced them.

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**Author:** ![The\_Lone\_Badger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/the_lone_badger/32/8063_2.png) [@The\_Lone\_Badger](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/The_Lone_Badger)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/5 "2014-05-25T01:23:14Z")

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> [@Garm](#):
>
> Well technically insects have rather nutritious meat extremely rich in protein yada yada.

They’re nutritious, yes. But ants are brim-full of formic acid. Not remotely tasty, and chronic exposure can be toxic (blindness, kidney damage).

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**Author:** ![Rivet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/rivet/32/11_2.png) [@Rivet](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Rivet)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/6 "2014-05-25T03:15:49Z")

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> [@The Lone Badger](#):
>
> They’re nutritious, yes. But ants are brim-full of formic acid. Not remotely tasty, and chronic exposure can be toxic (blindness, kidney damage).

Their venom glands are full of formic acid, but most folks don’t make a habit of eating the poison sacs out of their prey.

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**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/7 "2014-05-25T03:23:21Z")

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> [@FunsizeNinja123](#):
>
> Ants aren’t that hostile… Last time I faced them.

Probably a problem with scent-based targeting. Scent is great for general homing but folks who rely on it (insects, mostly) tend to have trouble locking on and attacking IME.

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**Author:** ![The\_Lone\_Badger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/the_lone_badger/32/8063_2.png) [@The\_Lone\_Badger](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/The_Lone_Badger)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 10:09am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/8 "2014-05-25T10:09:51Z")

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> [@Rivet](#):
>
> Their venom glands are full of formic acid, but most folks don’t make a habit of eating the poison sacs out of their prey.

Good point, giant ants are big enough that you can cut them out.

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**Author:** ![i2amroy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/i2amroy/32/909_2.png) [@i2amroy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/i2amroy)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/9 "2014-05-25T17:04:52Z")

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> [@The Lone Badger](#):
>
> And, well, have you ever smelled crushed ants? They’re not going to be tasty.

I can inform you that they (or at least the little black ones) taste exactly the way that they smell (has eaten several black ants by accident due to a colony living in our dining room roof).

That said with big ones you should be able to cut out the venom sacks, maybe as an additional butchering result?

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**Author:** ![FunsizeNinja123](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/funsizeninja123/32/118_2.png) [@FunsizeNinja123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunsizeNinja123)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/10 "2014-05-25T17:20:02Z")

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> [@i2amroy](#):
>
> (has eaten several black ants by accident due to a colony living in our dining room roof)

[size=24pt][b][color=red]D:[/size]

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**Author:** ![Datanazush](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/datanazush/32/1055_2.png) [@Datanazush](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Datanazush)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/11 "2014-05-25T17:49:21Z")

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> [@i2amroy](#):
>
> [quote=“The Lone Badger, post:1, topic:6241”]And, well, have you ever smelled crushed ants? They’re not going to be tasty.

I can inform you that they (or at least the little black ones) taste exactly the way that they smell (has eaten several black ants by accident due to a colony living in our dining room roof).[/quote]

Weaver ants here in Australia aren’t too bad to eat in an emergency, amazingly enough. The bastards are rich in protein, they don’t attack you too bad, and taste a little bit like citric acid. The larvae are pretty good to eat if you’re stranded, if someone difficult to dig out.

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**Author:** ![kilozombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@kilozombie](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kilozombie)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/12 "2014-05-25T17:51:56Z")

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> [@FunsizeNinja123](#):
>
> [quote=“i2amroy, post:9, topic:6241”](has eaten several black ants by accident due to a colony living in our dining room roof)

[size=24pt][b][color=red]D:[/size][/quote]

Have I mentioned the time I was eating ramen only to discover that the black seasoning was bits of insect (ants or flies, can’t remember) after eating half the bowl?

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**Author:** ![FunsizeNinja123](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/funsizeninja123/32/118_2.png) [@FunsizeNinja123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunsizeNinja123)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/13 "2014-05-25T17:54:10Z")

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Yeah, you did.

> [@FunsizeNinja123](#):
>
> [size=24pt][b][color=red]D:[/size]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![i2amroy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/i2amroy/32/909_2.png) [@i2amroy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/i2amroy)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/14 "2014-05-25T19:20:30Z")

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> [@kilozombie](#):
>
> Have I mentioned the time I was eating ramen only to discover that the black seasoning was bits of insect (ants or flies, can’t remember) after eating half the bowl?

I guess that’s the nice thing about them tasting so terrible; you know exactly when you eat one by accident and could never do something like that. 😛

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**Author:** ![ShinQuickMan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/shinquickman/32/2516_2.png) [@ShinQuickMan](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ShinQuickMan)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/ants-should-be-less-edible/6241/15 "2014-05-26T02:45:06Z")

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Make team ants faster, and give at least the soldiers poisonous attacks; generally, make them about as dangerous as swamp wildlife (or at least how that used to be in older versions?). That ought to bring them up to par.