The persistence of ants
It all started a month ago.
Someone left a box of very sweet and sticky pastry out on the counter. When we got home for work, there had been an invasion. Tiny ants were crawling all over the kitchen, scaling enormous heights to climb up from the floor to the top of the counter and eat pastry.
We threw out the pastry, and wiped down the counter. The ants dispersed. Just a few remained, wandering here and there in a confused way around the kitchen.
Two days later, I drunk a class of orange juice and left the cup by the sink. When I came home, they were out in force again, swarming over the counter, teetering over the rim of the cup, crawling down into the orange-juice-residue covered depths.
I put the cup in the dishwasher. I cleaned the counter. They dispersed again, until the next glass of orange juice was left out again, five days later.
This cycle has been repeating for the last month. For several days in a row, our alert is on high. We remember to put all orange juice cups directly into the dishwasher. And then… the ants go away, memories fade, and one slip-up starts the cycle all over again.
Clearly, these ants love orange juice. They love it with a passion. And they do not give up. They wait for the day that it will reappear, and go after it all over again.
Try wiping down their approach surfaces with vinegar…
Comment by Lab Lemming — April 24, 2008 @ 2:38 am
We spray the house perimeter (on the foundation) with anti-ant stuff, and that seems to keep them out.
Comment by sciencegirl — April 24, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
Vero Liquid Ant traps.
1. arrive home to discover infestation or leave bait item in conspicuous place
2. follow trail of ants back to source to identify point of entry into house or probable location of nest inside house
3. place unsealed ant trap next to ant trail and as near to ant source as possible. if you can identify the outside entry point into the house, thats best.
4. use 409 to gas existing infestation and spray and wipe as you follow the trail from food back to and source. do not spray trap or area around it.
if you have a nest inside your house, you must get rid of it by using the poisoned traps asap. once they are back outside, its much easier to defend the perimeter.
Comment by Rich — April 28, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
Defend the perimeter! I love this, we are under attack! I personally hate, hate ants. It goes back to my childhood. However, I hate using poison and my husband hates killing any living creature. I know my ants are coming in from a small crack near our side door, which conveniently comes strait into our kitchen. I keep a mop and bucket of bleach water near the entrance and mop up any ants I see (against my husband’s wishes). They seem to be kept at bay and have never made it to our kitchen counters. The bleach is like the vinegar it kills the smell of the previous ants. Ants leave a trail-to food-for the next ant to come find. When you remove the trail new scout ants have to start all over again.
Yet, I have to admit that it’s pretty hilarious to see them trying to fit a small crumb into the little crack. We came home yesterday and there were about a dozen trying to get a micro size crumb back to their home. I could only imagine the arguments they were having, something along the lines of “I know Bob, but we have to turn it sideways, lets just try it sideways.”
Comment by Jennie — May 11, 2008 @ 6:08 pm