Solenopsis

"You'll never believe what I saw today," Anna told her friend.

"What? Another grasshopper crash?" asked Marty, expecting to hear about another giant grasshopper smashing into someone's windshield.

"No, I saw one of those ant-licker freaks get tasered while trying to rob a Richie. But as soon as they zapped him, about a thousand ants came out of nowhere and attacked the robo-guards. They were blasting away, but then there were so many ants they were completely covered and couldn't do anything.  At the same time, I saw a bunch of other ants carry the licker-guy off. He was just lying there, barely conscious, and they picked him up and took him away. As soon as he was out of sight, the other ants just disappeared. They crawled off as fast as they came. It was all over in about 30 seconds!"

"Oh my God! Where did this happen?"

"It was right outside Yanbu Cafe. I was sitting near the window in the back," Anna said.

"That is so weird. There is something really sick going on between the lickers and the ants. I used to think they were just getting high, but I read that the neurotoxins make the lickers super-fast and focused. They lick the ant eyes just before trying to rob a Richie. Apparently the ants like it - the junkie's body starts emitting pheromones that make the ants think they are being groomed. It's sick - the ants get off on it and the lickers get high."

"Yeah, that is so weird," Anna agreed. "Did you know that the ants they lick - the Solenopsis, or something, are like ninety times bigger than they were 40 years ago? Before that they were even smaller.  My dad says they were smaller than a grain of rice  before the oxygen levels shot up."

"I know! Everything is changing so fast. But imagine what we would eat if the oxygen levels weren't so high - we'd probably still be eating cows and pigs!"

"That is so gross!" Anna said, making a face.

"And so cruel!" Marty added. "They killed them by the hundreds of thousands!"

"Or billions, I think... Escargot and c-fu are so much more humane!"

"Definitely," Marty agreed. "And chapulines - mmm! Did you try the ones they have at Yanbu? They're so good!"

"No, I haven't had them yet," Anna replied. "But could you imagine eating animal flesh? I couldn't... But why did the ants take the licker away? I couldn't figure that out."

"Well, what I read was that the ants treat them like eggs. Normally the ants in the nurseries go around checking the eggs and if the eggs wiggle and rub their faces, the ants know they're healthy and take care of them. The lickers are acting just like eggs. And then the lickers release smells when they are injured or hurt. The ants come thinking they are protecting their eggs," Marty explained.

"Oh, wow. That is so cool," Anna replied. "Too bad the neurotoxins end up killing the lickers - it's like having a million robo-guards like the Richies except you don't have to be a Richie!"