Note to self: sculpt scene of a horribly drawn-and-quartered human corpse by the way of Alien Art aficionados, which focuses on their love and admiration for that special little way the entrails dribble out when you pour molten rock down the throat of a live specimen.

Between this and the classroom lesson utilizing consumer-available, DIY remote-control cockroaches, we've really got it coming to us.

@ant isn't pleased.

Perhaps, non-coincidentally, the finished cast of the colony doesn't look too dissimilar from a piece of coral.

Mounted upside-down.

I was thinking "Ohhh this guy is all science-y, how's he gonna clean that off? I'll bet it'll be with some kind of pressurized water device in a sealed chamber in the lab or...oh, his garden hose...or that..."

Cruel, unnecessary, and pointless.

The title of the video on youtube says "Cast #043", which indicates that he may have done this 42 times before, and the zero hints that he may have plans for numerous more casts (a hundred or more?).

The description indicates that this is a "fire ant" colony. Although it's not certain, these are likely invasive 'fire ants'.
Setting aside for a moment the obvious argument that humans are also an invasive species, there are several reasons to kill invasives, and this was not a particularly nasty way to do it.

Now, he also casts carpenter ant colonies, which are likely indigenous to his area.. that, in my opinion, is weaker ethical footing.

Ant's will take over the world!!!

Looked like silver twiglets!

Red Hot Nickel Ball vs. Ant Colony in 5..4..3..2....

Pfffffttt..... I only use gold for these

And, setting aside the "obvious arguement" that there are "invasive" religions, cults, armies, colours and creeds, does that justify the extermination of ANY that cannot defend themselves? Your justification for mass extermination on the grounds that it is; "not a particularly nasty way to do it," is quite disturbing as, you may recall, the mass killing of "invasive" species has already been attempted. It was called the Holocaust.

1) Don't be confused, and think that I've decided the casting of ant colonies for art is justified. I'm pointing out that the issue is more complex than many, including yourself, may realize. I find the video disturbing... and unlike our resident @ant have not voted for it.
2) Please look up Godwin's law. Using Nazi analogies generally undermines your argument.. it just makes it hard for people to accept that you have thought things through.
3) But hey, assuming that you have thought things through, let's continue with your analogy:
Perhaps the holocaust analogy does work, but to be sure the fire ants are not the Gypsies, they are the Germans. Fire ants are rapidly spreading across the world, drastically reducing both the abundance and diversity of native species. This includes native ant species, as well as a huge range of arthropod prey, potentially plants (through seed consumption), and even small vertebrates (e.g. lizards and ground nesting birds).
If you are arguing from a pacifistic stance, that violence against another creature is never justified, even if it is in the defense of others more helpless or in self-defense, I thoroughly respect that position. Although any violence turns my stomach; I cannot say that I agree.. for sure, the next time I get an infection, I will take antibiotics; the next time I see purple loosestrife, I will tear it from its roots.

Uh, you need to look again. I already voted this a couple days ago.

Buddhists would concur with you grinter, A10anis, though they simply couldn't give a fuck

@A10anis-No, youre wrong, it's neither pointless nor terribly cruel. As to necessity, maybe.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'ant, murder, aluminum, ant hill' to 'ant, aluminum, ant hill, death, kill' - edited by chingalera

...I did look.
I said 'unlike ant I have not voted for this'.
perhaps I shouldn't have used a double negative?

Yeah, that was confusing. LOL!

This guy never grew up. Pouring molten metal on living things is not cool. GPR + 3D printer would give you the same results.

Unnecessary apostrophe's will take over the world!!!

Fuck ants! I want to back up a truck of molten aluminum into the top of an orphanage!

It will be a silvery Pompeii of children! A work of art!

A10anis, comparing killing an anthill to the holocaust? Really? You're an idiot.

The fact that it is molten metal is pretty irrelevant, since I would argue that this is less painful than pesticides and most other ways to kill ants. Whether the ants should be killed at all is a whole other argument.

It makes for a nice xmas tree.

...and imagine all the ants killed with every road and parking lot and Wal-Mart and... calm down people. Ants are pretty resilient. They'll be waging wars for their queens long after they've helped compost the last of our dead.