A few weeks ago I noticed an ant crawling around my bathroom. Knowing there was nothing there for the ant to survive on, I left it alone, thinking it would eventually give up and leave.
The next day I noticed two more ants had joined the first. These three crawled for days around the bathroom. I assume they explored every inch, top to bottom. After what must have been more than a week, I found all three of their dead carcasses in a corner, as if they had given up all at once and laid down to die together.
I thought that would be the end of it. What colony of ants would send more of its workers into a situation that had already proven to be not only fruitless but also suicide? Well, apparently the ant colony living in the foundations of our home would. A few days later I found a contingent of at least 20 ants.
At that point I thought I should take drastic measures. I killed the ants. But they were back the next day. I ignored them. Soon, a spider moved in. There are considerably fewer ants crawling around the bathroom now, and it appears there is a collection of tiny, dry, ant carcasses in the spider's corner.
I guess I could have the apartment sprayed by the professional pest control people and the drama would be over. But this makes going to the bathroom far more interesting than it usually is. I'll be sad when winter finally arrives and the ants go into hibernation, and the spider goes his way.
P.S. Adara's bathroom is separate from mine. I'd never let a spider stay in her bathroom. She might kill it.
5 comments:
Cute end to the blog. Having her moms spunk I don't doubt Adara could have her way with the spider. Ryan is a famous one for preserving their little lives. I am far less compassionate, to black crawly things that is.
I've noticed a few ants in my bathroom, too. When we first got ants in our kitchen, our landlord told us that ants also like the bathroom, because they can find water there. When we finally found ants there, it seemed to me that sometimes the ants would be "drinking" off of the paint.
As for the ants in the kitchen, when they started a line to one of our cabinets, I finally decided to spray some sort of cleaner (perhaps Windex) on the entire line; except for an ant here or there, they seemed to have avoided the kitchen since then!
Bonnie and Alphy - thanks for the comments. Our spider is doing a little too well, I think. It seems he's about twice as big as he was when he first moved in. And after a week, there are still just as many ants as there were at the beginning. Oh well. I guess I'll get some chemicals - I hear vinegar works really well.
Mary, those little round ant traps you can get in a grocery store work well and don't spread chemicals around.
If the vinegar doesn't work, I'd try those. That's what I do when I get ants.
Mary,
this has nothing to do with ants or other creepy crawlies, but I thought you might enjoy these articles on how to be an editor...
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/09/wanna-be-editor-steps-to-take-now.html
and
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2007/07/moonrats-guide-to-getting-into.html
Perhaps you'll find some good info here.
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