I usually just read here this forum, but I had to register to say few things:
First off, OP reminds me of the “evil kid” from a certain dreamworks movie:
That movie, Antz, was sort of chilling to watch. Especially the part where the kid was trying to crush the ants. I remember being quite stricken by the fact that at least in the movie they were sentient... they were basically people.
Ian: you say you like watching their reaction. How would you react if an aircraft carrier fell on your neighborhood? The scattering and random movements is not accidental. it is chemically programmed survival. When you brought your crappy shoe down on their home it was like a bomb went off. Of course they’re going to try and climb out from underneath. It is the tactic they would use against an enemy. They want and are trying to attack you. Ants are programmed to repel invaders at the site of their home. That white, logoed monstrosity you are chasing them with (so you can “watch their reactions” to being stepped on - really?) is a deadly invader. Your sneaker is an invader. You standing over them are an invader.
If they had the chance bite your skin, it would hurt and they could possibly repel you. Anthills survive attacks from giant invaders and in some cases repel them. The aberrant treatment you show them doesn’t exist in the wild though. While other wildlife passing through may accidentally disrupt their home from time to time, they move on... not stand directly on top of their home knowing perfectly well that your continued presence is causing problems for them. And
although they can repel most animals, they are not as well adapted to deal with a motivated giant purposely dragging his feet over their home repeatedly and squashing anything that moves. Of course they climb up and to try and bite... the problem is they aren't equipped to penetrate man-made objects/running shoes with hard rubber soles and artificial foam cushioning worn by some spoiled little consumerist who already has life too easy as it is.
And when they finally dig an exit and finish coming out to retrieve their dead, you are still there, hovering your dirty, malodorous shoe over their home about to do the same thing to them all over again... again and again until your "curiosity" is sated. And unfortunately, all they can do is wait until you are done indulging yourself, lift your crappy foot off their home, and lumber off out of boredom…which is a glaring example of how unfair the universe is. You sound like a good guy but try to realize: you're being a tyrant.
It's easy to feel like the big bad human in capitalist United States where the animals aren't so dangerous and you live with a surplus of throw-away luxuries. But try going to Africa doing what you like to do here to anthills, where the ants are dangerous and aggressive, and without wearing any of your materialistic, malodorous footwear. No cheating. Just you and the ants. Let us know how much fun it is to experiment their reactions then.
