I don’t recall seeing this sold on the streets before, although I don’t always notice what people are selling. I’m typically a bit hesitant to express any interest in stuff I don’t want to buy. I don’t want to give the false impression that I will buy or that I really want to try something that might make me regret tasting it later. Never know how safe some things are to eat or at least never know when was the last time the vendor washed his or her hands after using the bathroom (that is the greatest concern).
Escamol or los esacomles (plural) would be the appropriate word to use. It is new to me but it is an ancient delicacy of native tribes.
Wikipedia has a Spanish entry and an English entry (which is not very informative but helps if you have nothing else to go on).
I guess I should mention that these buckets are full of ant larvae. The amount of larvae in the small metal tin inside the bucket would set you back $150 pesos which at this morning’s exchange rate would be about $12 USD. I decided to just take these two pictures as my initial taste-test. I know it’s not the same as eating them. And yeah…I can live with that. Not a problem.
Knowing Your ABCDs 
I think you missed your chance….. to tell us what they taste like. If you ever see jumiles, you should try those. I hear they have a strong iodine taste, best when eaten live.
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I have a picture of jumiles that I took in Taxco a good few years ago. Don’t see them here. So, I have seen them, and just the same, I didn’t try them. The lady selling them on the steps in the market was picking them off her sweater sleeve and popping them in her mouth like crawling M&Ms. Mmmm…Mmmm.
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