Sages through the ages have lauded ants as exemplars of industriousness, persistence and the virtues of collective effort. “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise,” counsels Proverbs 6:6-8, yet most of us focus on extermination, not inspiration, when we find ourselves in the company of these social insects. Stomping, poisoning, drowning and burning are among the measures people turn to as ant antipathy verges on anti-ant pathology.