Is this a German thing? My balcony has spaced metal bars and I would hate to see the state of it if there were solid barriers keeping it cool, moist, and building up debris.
From my experience, there are different cultural aspects to privacy and sometimes, simple metal bars balconies are fitted with fabric to hide what's happening inside the apartment from the outside world.
I guess in many places where this is more culturally predominant, they install solid barriers on those balconies.
Usually those barriers leave a gap at the bottom for water and debris.
The article phrased the situation as generations of ants feeding on each other over many years. At some point, the energy value of the food drops because it’s consumed.
