I am not an entomologist but is it possible it has nothing to do with E and H 
fields? Could it simply be that it is just a nice dry/warm environment for them 
to produce offspring. I have observed ants just last spring in my low voltage 
transformers for my landscape lights. When you disturb them they scurry away 
carrying their eggs. I have also observed this same behavior under rocks, 
especially large flat pieces of slate but anything similar would do. Like wood, 
plastic or whatever. The reason I mentioned the association with spring is due 
to the fact that in Michigan winter can get pretty cold and a transformer rated 
for outdoor use (typically in an enclosure) can produce a nice dry/warm 
environment. In the summer anything works for them as long as it stays dry/warm.
I know this forum is for EMC-Safety but not everything can be attributed to E 
and H fields. Although if it did, I would migrate to it being an H field effect.

Mark

From: Doug Powell [mailto:doug...@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2016 10:36 AM
To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG
Subject: Re: [PSES] Fire ants

This topic is getting interesting..  I had originally thought it would be 
received like one of my Friday questions 8-j), but now I see there is quite a 
bit of serious information possible.

One note, of all the magnetic core types, the toroidal form factor is probably 
does the best job of containing magnetic flux.  Although EMC core material is 
generally low Q and may produce some fringing fields, a core used for GFCI 
should be fairly high Q, I would think.  Of course, all conductors are known to 
produce both E & H fields regardless of the presence of magentics.  All my 
children have outgrown the high school science project stage so I may have to 
do the experiment myself.  We have a few varieties of ants on Colorado as well.

Very interested to hear if entomologists have anything to add.

-Doug


Douglas E Powell
Laporte, Colorado USA
doug...@gmail.com<mailto:doug...@gmail.com>
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dougp01

On Thu, Sep 15, 2016 at 7:31 AM, Ted Eckert 
<000007cf6ebeab9d-dmarc-requ...@ieee.org<mailto:000007cf6ebeab9d-dmarc-requ...@ieee.org>>
 wrote:
I would like to note that Mr. Gies is from New Jersey. The adoption of an 
updated electrical code with expanded use of AFCI breakers was blocked in New 
Jersey partly through resistance from home construction contractors who didn’t 
like the higher cost of the new breakers. My theory is that those contractors 
worked with a mad scientist to develop a strain of ants that attacks AFCI 
breakers. This was an attempt to “prove” that the AFCI breakers were 
unreliable.  Unfortunately, Mr. Woodgate’s experiments with plutonium resulted 
in mutations that led the ants to attack the GFCI breakers instead.

Ted Eckert
The opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my 
employer, entomologist, biologist or the construction industry of New Jersey.

From: Adam Dixon 
[mailto:lanterna.viri...@gmail.com<mailto:lanterna.viri...@gmail.com>]
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2016 6:05 AM
To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG<mailto:EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG>
Subject: Re: [PSES] Fire ants

Follow the links available in Doug's original post to get to the Texas A&M 
article which references both electric and magnetic field influences.  In my 
locale (Atlanta, GA), University of Georgia folks speculate the attraction is 
due to thermals (2013 AJC article:  
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/crazy-ants-the-ants-that-eat-electronics-march-int/nZ3zy/).
  Looks like there are folks who have been researching this over the past 20 
years or so.
The GFCI attraction may have been from alien ants like on CBS' Braindead which 
are intelligent enough to realize that the GFCI is more safe. ;-)
Regards,
Adam
adam.di...@ieee.org<mailto:adam.di...@ieee.org>

On Thu, Sep 15, 2016 at 8:25 AM, IEEE <d...@ieee.org<mailto:d...@ieee.org>> 
wrote:
I wonder if there are any entomologists that are studying this effect? Has 
anyone looked up any of the ant specialists to see if they’ve been exploring 
this phenomena?

WRT to Don’s experience, I wonder if it’s the magnetic field that is attracting 
them more than the electric field? The GFCI has some toroidal current 
transformers that might be part of the attraction…

I was also wondering if the abdominal signalling/pheromone release behaviour 
following the electric shock was a call to battle with a perceived enemy, 
against which they could not win. I guess if you pile on enough dead ants you 
can eventually trip the breaker feeding the circuit, and the ants “win”, at 
least in the moment.

Anyway, sounds like we need some bug guys involved in this discussion…

Doug Nix
d...@ieee.org<mailto:d...@ieee.org>
+1 (519) 729-5704<tel:%2B1%20%28519%29%20729-5704>

On Sep 15, 2016, at 06:14, Gies, Don (Nokia - US) 
<don.g...@nokia-bell-labs.com<mailto:don.g...@nokia-bell-labs.com>> wrote:

Yes.

I had a GFCI 20A circuit breaker in my panel feeding my pool pump motor.  I 
went to open my pool last spring and the breaker kept tripping.  So, I 
concluded that the breaker went bad.

I opened up the breaker panel to change the breaker and found that the GFCI 
breaker was infested with ants (regular ones, not fire ants), but 
interestingly, the GFCI breaker was the ONLY breaker in the entire panel that 
had ants.


DON GIES
NOKIA Bell Labs
SENIOR PRODUCT COMPLIANCE ENGINEER
GLOBAL PRODUCT COMPLIANCE LABORATORY
600-700 Mountain Avenue
Room 5B-104
Murray Hill, NJ 07974-0636 USA
Phone: +1 908 582 5978<tel:%2B1%20908%20582%205978>
Mobile: +1 732 207 7828<tel:%2B1%20732%20207%207828>
don.g...@nokia-bell-labs.com<mailto:don.g...@nokia-bell-labs.com>


From: Doug Powell [mailto:doug...@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 6:04 PM
To: EMC-PSTC@LISTSERV.IEEE.ORG<mailto:EMC-PSTC@listserv.ieee.org>
Subject: [PSES] Fire ants

All,

I was wondering if anyone has any real experiences with fire ant infestation in 
electrical equipment that they would be willing to share.

http://articles.extension.org/pages/30057/ants-and-electrical-equipment

It seems to me that for high current contractors and electrical disconnects 
(not using self-wiping contacts) with contaminants between connection points 
can result in resistive connections, I^2R heating, potential arcing and if 
enough voltage is present, series arc faults which over time can erode 
connections and result in a fire.  Does anyone have experience with this as a 
real problem?

Thanks  Doug



--

Douglas E Powell

doug...@gmail.com<mailto:doug...@gmail.com>
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dougp01
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