Wednesday, May 24, 2017

PLAGUE OF ANTS

IF IT ISN'T ONE THING....IT'S ANOTHER
An explosion of tiny ants the size of the head of a pin visited the kitchen sink last week.  I purchased ant traps...supposed to feed them poison and supposed to have them carry it back to the 'nest' and within weeks eradicate all.  Apparently, they are worker ants whose only job is to feed a 'queen' - they are out searching for water I was told.  It's still a problem and very daunting since they are all over the dishes and both sinks and now have migrated to the table next to the sink where I prepare food and keep flatware, spices and my medicines.
No doubt my country friends are laughing since ants don't phase them, but they are a terrible nuisance to me.  I found two in my coffee this morning!  I'm sure I've ingested a few.
The source problem seems to be the fact that all around the kitchen faucet's been leaking a long time and the super has to find time to get to the main valve to turn it off before fixing the leaks.  A second problem emerged on the first attempt--the turn off valve is broken and has to be replaced.  It's embedded in the wall between bath and kitchen and will require wall breaking to accommodate the work. Then, the kitchen and bath faucets have to be replaced.  A small problem has turned into a big deal in this hundred year old apartment.  Old things just wear out.  Meanwhile, the tiny beings are in occupancy. I am advised by exterminators to be patient.  It takes time and I simply can not rectify the fact that the walls and structures in the kitchen are not and will never be perfectly sealed off.

LINKs
http://antark.net/ant-life/the-family/worker-ant/

http://www.terro.com/how-to-get-rid-of-ants

4 comments:

Nancy said...

Oh I know this story all too well, this whole valley is one big ant hill! Take a breath, all will be resolved at some point. (((hugs))))

Mo Crow said...

eeek, you need an ant whisperer!

grace Forrest~Maestas said...

have you had these ever before? it seems to be a mystery, about why
they show up. Every 2 or 3 years there will be a kind of migration of
a tiny ant colony here. And they just are here and then all of a sudden
they are not. it doesn't make it any nicer when they are.
and looking for water, i would wonder...you have had so much rain.
Maybe their usual habits have been disturbed.
Anyway, doesn't change anything, all the wondering, they are where
you don't want them to be.
oh, eee.
and the plumbing, more eee....

jude said...

Peppermint oil spray.