You know what they don't tell ya when the building next door gets knocked down?
The ants. They don't tell ya about the friggin' ants. They take every food source away and grade the site so it's flat and neat, but there're still millions of ants looking to get fed.
Add to that some rain that has no storm water drains to go into and so raise the water table, and you've got bajillions of the buggers looking to get fed. Where do they go? My place apparently. ๐คฌ
That is all.
๐ Thanks!
Once, I bought a flat of fresh peaches. I planned to freeze some & make a peach pie with the rest the next day.
In the middle of the night, I heard a weird rustling & an acrid smell. I went downstairs & the flat of peaches, along with the entire kitchen counter, the floor, & the DRAPES were covered with thousands of ants. The rustling was the movement of the drapes they caused! And have you ever smashed an ant and smelled it? There were so many ants I could smell the same odor!!!
Ugh!
And yeah, the formic acid smell is yuck!
The way things are here right now, my workshop reeks of it. I vacuum up heaps of them out there every morning. ๐ก
@DyDave have you tried the boric acid ant traps? They seem to go for it, and it is moderately environmentally friendly.
Those are what I used in the before times when they only got in every now and again. They seem to do a pretty good job.
This influx called for some MacGyvering on top of those and we're basically just mixing up our own version of those traps on a bigger scale ๐
Seems to be working okay ๐ค
I've done that before - mixed my own laundry borax with a little sugar to attract them. Add water. Put in little holders around the foundation.
Stick some food grade DE in there to demolish their exoskeletons.
(Food grade in case any other animals eat it -- cats, mice, etc).
@DyDave Oh dear. Um.... you'll laugh about it someday?
I feel for you.
@DyDave That sounds like something out of the Bible.
๐ Thanks!
They're feeling it too, TBH, because I'm past my wit's end and have moved into merciless mode.
I've got a 2l jug of Borax, a jar of honey, and the will to use them!*
*Apologies to any Society For The Protection Of Ants members out there**
** Nah, JK! Sorry not sorry!
@DyDave I think there is no shame in self defense.
: )
Same! ๐
They have a giant world to live in, and I'm only denying them a tiny part of it.
I don't even mind them in the garden and only got a little peeved when they started crawling all over me and into my shoes while I was pruning yesterday. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
@DyDave @AskTheDevil
I've had good luck with the little cans you punch holes in. I don't know if they really bring it home to the queen, but they stop coming in my house.
Good tip! I remember those but I don't think they're on the market here anymore.
There've always been ants here - I live on a giant sandhill, so you get that ๐คทโโ๏ธ - but the demolition's just dialled it up to about 1 gajillion.
This Borax and honey mixture seems to wipe out the whole colony pretty well. It takes a while for them to cart enough back to the nest to destroy the whole colony, but it's worth it.
*smiles grimly*
@AlphaCentauri @DyDave If it's dry, I use instant grits. But I've used the little cans, too. I hate to do it, but I also hate to have my home overrun with varmits.
@AskTheDevil @DyDave
Yeah, that would be hell, wouldn't it? ๐
@AlphaCentauri @DyDave I could argue that my home is already overrun with several billion varmits.
@DyDave @AskTheDevil on the off chance they donโt take that mix, you might have grease ants. If thatโs the case and youโre not allergic, try swapping the honey with peanut butter. Good luck!
@Flibitz
Thank you!
Theyโre taking the bait for now fortunately ๐
@DyDave I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you, by the way.
๐ All good! Itโs a laughable situation for sure! ๐
@DyDave
Ugh. You have my sympathies. ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐