Wednesday, June 7, 2006

Charge on boys

This morning, Matt left for Florida...early.
So I got up around 8ish to let Sadie go out. She was sitting at the window whining, so I figured I'd better let her do her business. However, we have no fences around here, so she has to be tied up. Which means, that once she is done doing her business, she barks to come in.
Since I was already up, I decided to stay out with her and enjoy the sounds of my windchimes and the birdies. It's great fun to go out and listen to the birds. Who cares if they are scolding you to go away so they can eat more the delicious bird food we put out for them!
Anyway, I sat down on my front steps. On either side of the steps are two big concrete pillars. I had seen fireants on one side before, marching in a line, into cracks of my house! I had dumped Amdro in the cracks to get rid of them. But while I was sitting there, I saw a line of them, marching into a teeny tiny hole. The last time I was at the store, I had asked about Amdro, but they were out. But the man told me that coffee grounds work. So, I thought, what the heck. I've got coffee grounds, might as well try. I dumped some into a bowl and moistened them to help them stick. I really have no idea if they are effective dry, I guess we will see. With a toothpick, I jabbed the grounds into this tiny hole. Of course, it was tiny so I couldn't get them in very well. BUT...the ants wouldn't get near it. So I smeared some around the hole. And also on the big crack I had seen them at before.
They are determined little buggers. They would march around the corner, get near the grounds and turn around. Before long they'd be back.
I could just hear them.
"c'mon boys...we're under attack!!"
They'd come in droves. With their stinger butts straight up in the air. Oh yes, they were going to get these grounds!
"RETREAT RETREAT!! IT'S WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT!!"
"ok, we must regroup....maybe if more of us get together we can take this thing"
Now mind you, I also had a lighter in my pocket from the night before (lighting citronella candles in case you were wondering), and I decided to send them a warning! HA! So, when they would come around and get too close, I'd burn em!
And still, they came!
"CHARGE ON BOYS! WE HAVE TO SAVE OUR QUEEN!"
Pretty soon, the numbers got fewer and fewer. I don't know if this has to do with cowardness, or just the fact that I kept killing them!
By the time I went in, it had been several minutes and there were still a few lonely stragglers, trying to figure away around the deadly grounds.
I'll check on it later today and see how it is going once the grounds dry. I am determined to keep these things away. I wonder how long it will take the queen to die of starvation. I'm sure there is plenty of food to sustain them in there for awhile, but I blocked their entry, so no one is going in or out. I'm assuming that is the only entry because of how determined they were to get in it. And it is concrete, they can't go build a new hole!
I'm thinking of sprinkling grounds all over my yard. I wonder what that would do to my vegetation.
If you recall, (And I was going to link to the entry...but I really must stop naming them ridiculous things, it makes it impossible to find specific entries!) Zachy is very allergic to these things...and I will charge on to protect my baby. HA...maybe the ants need to think about that. They need a mommy willing to protect them, instead of her sitting on her rump making them do the dirty work!

2 comments:

Jove Pictures said...

Here's another method I read about recently. Put a line of cornmeal around where they are. Then put a shallow bowl of water close by. The ants will eat the cornmeal. Then, because they are thirsty, they'll go into the bowl for water. I think they'll either drown in there or their bellies will burst open because of the cornmeal expanding when they drink the water. Sounds a little gruesome but it may be something else to try. And please respond to my other email I sent this weekend!

Gina said...

I loved this post! Soooo funny to hear your little thoughts on what the ants were "saying!" You crack me up! But, hopefully you can get it under control for Zachy. Keep us all posted on the Ant Antics! *lol*

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