War Against the Ants

In the seemingly ongoing saga on "Us" verses "The Ants", I believe we have hit another stalemate. At least the ants are hiding this morning.

I returned from the weekend to notice ants teeming by the back door mat. We have a few ant traps in that area and the strategy behind the ant traps is not to kill the ants, as they are supposedly taking the bait home to the Queen Ant and this is how the colony is destroyed.

It is extremely hard to watch an ant and let it go on its merry way but I had faith that being out of the house a few days would give the ant traps an opportunity to do their work without having to watch the ants in motion.

I have no idea if I was wrong, but all reasoning went out the window when the ants kept marching on. On the kitchen counters. On the fridge. Wandering through the kitchen. A few even found their way to the bathroom.

I killed every ant I saw. I washed down the surfaces. I sprayed a heavy concentrate of vinegar and water to erase the scent of ant trails. All to no avail.

RAID to the rescue! No more messing around. "Kills on Contact"; "Defense system - Attack Control"; "Insect Killer". It may sound extreme but I am desperate.

I sprayed as much as I dared to spray in the hope of killing off the ants without doing in our cats. Thankfully our felines show no interest in hunting down, killing and eating the invasive species (I have a feeling they may enjoy a pet mouse as a toy, so have little faith our house is safe from rodents should they find a way in). It is my hope this will do the trick.

I haven't spotted an ant yet this morning. We may have a temporary ceasefire.

Nature has taken over the exterior of our little home-away-from home. Weeds are growing where the grass should be. Bugs have made their home in the nooks and crannies of the house siding and decks. Everywhere I look, I am reminded that nature will step in where humans leave an opportunity. 

It's one thing when nature takes its course outside. It's quite another when they set up residence inside the foundation of one's home.

A solid foundation, free of infestation of any kind is a good basis to build a life and home. Everything starts from there.