Since the beginning of time man (and probably women too) have been battling insects of one kind or another – spiders, creepy crawlers, beetles, palmetto bugs, mosquitoes, you name it. My insect battle this year has been with ants. Some of them are so tiny you can hardly see them and others are your ordinary average picnic ant size. But, none of them are the giant carpenter size ants, thank God.
This year the ants must number in the ga-billions. They are coming at me from everywhere – under the toilet, under various places along the baseboard, in the dishwasher, in the refrigerator, under the bathtub, out of the a/c ducts, over my desk, down my walls, they are simply EVERYWHERE!
The battle was on! We started with a strong commercial spray – nada. A neighbor gave us some commercial strength “Ant Bait” guaranteed to wipe out the colonies (yes, plural) within 30 days! Oy, 30 days, that’s a long time to have to eat, sleep, and dine with the ants. We scrubbed every dish clean before we put it in the dishwasher, we wiped the kitchen counters and stove top so much they cried “Uncle.” The poor dog had about two minutes to eat his food or it was swarming with hundreds of the little ant buggers. I think he lost two pounds. Some days we gave up entirely and just watched the twenty-foot long trail of ants coming and going. Industrious little suckers, they are.
Outside the house was much worse, so that was a blessing. However, when they found the hummingbird feeder and covered that, I flipped out! Out with the hose, wash down the feeder, move the feeder, fool the ants, try again. Didn’t work – ants found the new installation within minutes, maybe seconds. Then we discovered that a line of chalk will not be crossed by ants. And so, we used up several sticks of chalk on the pathway to our bird feeder. Worked – sort of, but at least there are a lot fewer ants.
Our condominium association kept answering my pleas for help with, “That is not an association problem since the ants are not a detriment to the property.” Not for them, maybe, but crunchy ants in my cereal was a detriment to the enjoyment of my meal. Ants everywhere in my house were a detriment to my mental health. They were driving me nuts. Time for the big guns.
Off to Lowes. Daughter bought 20 pounds of some ant poison granules. Sprinkle all over lawns, decks, grounds, foundations. Water, water, water. Wait. Fewer ants. Woo Hoo.
Next, heavy duty ant poison spray that won’t harm humans or animals when it dries. Spray, spray, spray, baseboards everywhere, including inside closets. More fewer ants. Double Woo Hoo.
Final step – clear silicone caulk. Seal all holes in the baseboards, around sinks, toilets, tubs, any hole or crack found inside or outside the house! Caulk, caulk, caulk. Haven’t seen an ant all day, inside or out! Triple Woo Hoo! Maybe, just maybe we’ve won the battle of the ants! I sure hope so because I think they were even crawling into my scalp at night and nipping away. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
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