ANTS, ANTS, Little Tiny Black Ants!

I wanted to write something "fun" for the Blog today but little, tiny, black ants have invaded my kitchen - my life - even my dreams for the past couple of weeks.  They say it is best to write about something near and dear to produce a quality product, so, I am writing begrudgingly about ants.  On a more altruistic level; however, I am providing ammunition to you the reader, if not to totally wipe out these pesky buggers - at least to keep them somewhat at bay!!!  You won't believe this - one of the peskies just walked across my "ant" reference paper.  He rode upstairs to my computer room by my very own hand!  I squashed him and immediately went back to typing.

Here is my ant story.  I wake up one morning, go to the kitchen for my morning cuppa, and what to my amazing eyes - there are little, tiny, black ants -- the "peskies," a lot of them:  savoring the cat food, making a jungle gym out of my window sill, playing hide and seek on the kitchen floor.  If you care about what kind of ant, (I didn't as ANTS are ANTS in my mind) this website might help. OK -- first line of defense - call neighbor Mairi who had cats for years and years.  Yes, build a moat by setting the cat bowl in a bowl of water - so they drown attempting to fill their little bellies.  It worked - at least for the cat food.

But the peskies were still showing up.  I didn't want to use ant spray as it is bad for my lovable kitties:  Charlie and Lemmie.  It also is not a "green eco approach" to the problem.  I then recalled friend Rita had ants.  Her remedy - use Windex.  This also kinda works as it kills them, but their friends and family members march right back in.  My own brainstorm, use the ever-versatile "vinegar."  HHmm, again works but not for long!  As you can imagine, I was getting increasingly frustrated.

Ok, I got really serious about tackling the problem so I googled "solving ant problems."  Ahh, I am so much wiser now that I have the scientific "why" information.  Those peskies love moisture, human food (especially sugar and grease), and warmth.  I now know the unappealing spring weather has contributed to my problem.  BUT, I still have ants!  They now are swimming in the cats' water bowl, playing on my counters, and climbing up the refrigerator.  (I blame Jerry for the refrig as Oreo cookie remains on the door handle is a sure fire ant attraction!!  By the way Jerry, why are you you eating Oreos and not sharing them with me?)

I finally came across a somewhat effective method. The solution:  good, old, basic cleaning and sound food storage methods!!  So, I am Ms. Clean, daily wiping the floors, counters with soap and water, and keeping the counters free of "any and all food."  One mishap:  the unopened packaged pound cake purchased for Mother's Day strawberry shortcake stored on top of the refrigerator.  What a feast for those peskies - who would have thought they would be so clever!!  Oh, well, it saved me some calories.

The "green" answer is diligently monitoring and eliminating the conditions that contribute to infestations.  By following these tips, you can effectively reduce ant populations indoors without using toxic chemical or interfering in ants' ecological roles outdoors.  If you must use a pesticide, considering using a bait product, but they contain poison so it is crucial to always place baits out of the reach of children, pets, and wildlife.

I have to go now as it is time to check for ants!

P.S. I promise you I am really not a bad housekeeper, but I can assure you, I am a much better one than I was - at least when it comes to my kitchen!!

Comments

[macadamia_man]

Try Borax. Mix 2 tablespooons of Borax into a cup of warm water in which you have already dissolved half a cup of plain white sugar. Stir well, and then dip cotton wool balls or similar into the mix and leave those (as they are or in a small dish or the lid of a jar) next to the ants trails. They will eat the toxicant, take some back to the nest to feed their mates and generally do their best to kill themsleves and the queen for you. Keep pets, kids and other wildlife away as much as you can because some may suffer damage too if they drink the liquid. It may take a few repeats to knock off all your colonies, but it works, it's safer than pesticides and it lasts until the next wave of invaders decides to keep your cleaning habits up to scratch . . .

[wa verzekering verplicht]

I agree this is really interesting and helpful report, provided data explained in this report is reliable and true.

[Ant]

Till, when they come to the valley of the ants, one of the ants said" O, ants enter your dwellings, lest Suleiman and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not.( suret al-naml 18 – ants)

In this verse, there is a clear evidence that ants have a language to understand one another and Allah gifted Suleiman with the ability to hear and understand these sounds. The scientists attempt to grasp these acoustic signals that ants utter. Yet, they distinguished four different kinds of these sounds after very long years of watching.

This is from 14 centuries. From the glorious Qura'an. It should be time for those who have doubts about Mohammad to question themselves...

Ants talk here:
http://home.olemiss.edu/~hickling/

More to read here:
http://www.bismikaallahuma.org/archi...-in-the-quran/

And here:

http://knol.google.com/k/ahmed-abdo/ants-speak/1nf8rodgg6k5e/1#