And you thought you knew everything about leafcutter ants. Well, you didn't, and you're not alone. Lots is known about them because they are one of the most intensely studied of all insect species. They have complex societies, they create and maintain underground fungus farms, and they look cute carrying around those bits of leaves. Unless the leaves happen to come from your tangerine tree.
     Using their expertly farmed fungi for food, leafcutters have become one of Earth's most successful species.
  Scientists have published thousands of papers about the leafcutters' farming success, but until recently, nobody had ever asked the question, "What do they use for fertilizer?" There are about 250 ant species that live on farmed fungus, but most of them live in colonies of a few thousand individuals, and their garden plots are small.
  Leafcutters inhabit colonies with millions of individuals, and can have farms that produce a ton or more of edible fungus in a year. This puzzled scientists. For humans to farm on a comparable scale, we need to load up our fields with nitrogen, a limiting factor in plant growth. Scientists who looked into the question discovered that leafcutter fungus farms are inhabited by a microbe, Klebsiella, that fixes nitrogen from the air and makes it available to fungi. Rhizobia bacteria perform a similar function with legumes.
  Cameron Currie, a University of Wisconsin bacteriologist who participated in leafcutter studies, says the ants' tricks could help humans develop more efficient ways to get nitrogen to commercial crops. There's a story about the study, written by Brandon Keim, at Wired Magazine's web site. You can read it here:  http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/ant-gardening/ 


     Is that asparagus local? Sure. In Santiago.  A 260-seat Washington, D.C., restaurant called Founding Farmers received tons of good press, including enthusiastic mention in Lancaster Farming, for its commitment to buying from local farmers. Turns out the restaurant wasn't living up to its commitment, and was busted by the Washington Post. That upset some people, including our regional editor, Tracy Sutton, who took a look at the situation and wrote an editorial for our current edition. Be sure to check it out.


     Santa's going to be bringing this guy a huge electric bill.  http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/guitar-hero-holiday-light-display/1ab3c6wp5