Clear hollow tubing bannisters with an ant farm inside them, with one end connected to the outside world so that they can get out to forage around.

Pause to reflect on the industry of the humble ant as you trudge up the stairs in your home, or office building when the elevator is out of action.
-- xenzag, Feb 11 2008

watch out for the finial extreme_20banisters...perimental_20phase)
[po, Feb 12 2008]

You could run power up them as well...
-- wagster, Feb 11 2008


If you connected the ant farm to the real world, wouldn't they just move out?

Though I have seen a bee (or maybe wasp?) hive in a museum, the innards visible, and the insects flying in and out via a plastic corridor to the window. So the technology exists.
-- DrCurry, Feb 11 2008


Leave honey at the top. Or breadcrumbs.
-- wagster, Feb 11 2008


Or ant porn.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 11 2008


Ant porn newell post.
-- wagster, Feb 11 2008


Don't talk about my Aunt Poune like that.
-- phoenix, Feb 11 2008


I don't want ants in my house. In fact, I go to great measures to ensure ants stay out of my house...
-- theleopard, Feb 12 2008


At least it's not worm farm bannisters.
-- skinflaps, Feb 12 2008


When we lived in a wooden house we used to keep termites.
-- hippo, Feb 12 2008


The greatest irony is that the entire Earth is but a Human farm belonging to a pupae of one of our galactic Ant overlords.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Feb 12 2008


sp. "banister", unless you are referring to Sir Roger.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Feb 12 2008


And 'newel', looking at it. Amazing that I've got those both wrong considering how many banisters, newel posts and balustrade I've dealt with.
-- wagster, Feb 12 2008


<I'm A Pedant But I Can't Think Of The Right Word> Banisters are the upright posts. The bit you slide down is called something else. </IAPBICTOTRW>
-- jtp, Feb 12 2008


The upright posts are balusters. Banister (or bannister) started out as a variant of baluster, but has now come to mean the handrails as well, as immortalized in:

"As Rose collects the money in a cannister
Who comes sliding down the bannister?
The vicar in a tutu
He's not strange
He just wants to live his life this way."
-- The Smiths, "Vicar in a Tutu"
-- jutta, Feb 12 2008


Bannister is also correct. At least according to the old www.dictionary.com.
-- methinksnot, Feb 13 2008



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