All in the valley of death rode the 600

Gallery

Posted on by

It started a few weeks back but intensified when I was drinking a glass of water. Near the edge, there was a moving spot. At first I thought it was another eye floater except that it had legs. My floaters don’t have legs.

My glass (the one I was DRINKING from) had an ant crawling along the rim. On closer inspection, inside there were two ants doing the breaststroke. (This is in the water that I just drank from!) That did not make me happy. My glass wasn’t on the counter where we have been having ant attacks. It was on the table which had a “no ant” policy. Ants are like cats. They don’t follow rules.

Theirs not to make reply

Theirs not to reason why

Theirs but to do or die

I had done all the home remedies, and they all worked for a while. Then the legions came marching back. I think over the past month there had to be 600, all intrepid soldiers doing what they are told, being strong and brave and eventually dead.

Canon to right of them

Cannon to left of them

Cannon in front of them

Volleyed and thundered

Despite rehoming many critters that try to squat in my house (mice and spiders are frequent flyers), I don’t rehome ants. I squish with my finger. At first I used a tissue but that got tedious, and I got less squeamish. I called in the calvary who used a cat-proof, people-proof (so they say) substance to “discourage” them (all outside!). They went elsewhere to die.

Stormed at with shot and shell

Boldly they rode and well

Into the jaws of death

Into the mouth of hell

Rode the six hundred 

Let’s hope this is the end of the siege this year. I still get a few running around on my desk in the office room. It makes no sense. There is no food or water. “Theirs is not to reason why. Theirs is to get squished and die.”

A side funny story — Gus (my ginger boy cat), loves to smell dead ants. That also makes no sense.

Many thanks to Alfred Lord Tennyson for teaming up with me to write this post.

 

47 thoughts on “All in the valley of death rode the 600”

  3. I’m guessing that you do NOT want to find a package of chocolate covered ants nestled in your Easter Basket this year. 😀

    We had periodic invasions at the villa. So far they haven’t reached us here in our 2nd floor apartment.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. This is so weird. Your last two posts have coincided with what’s going on with me. Just tonight I was mopping our wood floor and found ants all along one side of the family room. Husband ran out and got the stuff that worked the last time. We used Andro ant traps. Also, we’ve used STEM which also works. It safe around pets but it’s oily and smells bad. This just happened for us tonight, and now I feel itchy.

    Liked by 1 person

    • After having three ant-free days, there was one on the counter this morning. I hope it’s not another troop coming in to see what we have to offer. It seems like a spring thing here. We used traps at the old house and a variety of treatments. Most of the worked until the next horde of ants came in. I must be living on one helluva ant hill!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Ha ha – I laughed, but in about one week’s time I will not be laughing at my own little ant infestation. It usually comes mid-April, but since it is so cold here right now (including the wintry mix happening as I write this comment), I’m hoping they emerge from wherever and the cold and slush “does them in”.

    Liked by 1 person

      • I do hope, but then this afternoon I was sitting here at the computer and out of the corner of my eye I saw something brown scurry across the tablecloth. I freaked out as I thought it was a centipede – turned out when I examined its remains that it was! All this wet weather! It was not a baby, medium sized, but had it been an adult, I’d have screamed and run down the hall. I bolted up and grabbed a huge wad of paper towel and squished it … the first creepy crawly of the year.

        Liked by 1 person

          • Yes, in retaliation – “if you get our relatives, we’re out for revenge, so watch out!” I check the bathtub every morning when I turn on the bathroom light, even in the Winter. I usually have about six or seven a year in the bathtub even though I close the drain when not in use. I open the drain and turn on the water … it is the ONLY time I am brave with centipedes as they creep me out and I’m terrified of them.

            Liked by 1 person

  6. An ant in your glass. Yuk! I’m glad you didn’t drink it. The ants and Alfred Lord Tennyson so make a good story.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. I hope the ants don’t stay long. That’s funny with Gus. Makes me think of my first cat Tiggy. When she saw an ant she would gag. Ants must have a scent that affects cats.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m also under siege from the ants. I’d been trying to ignore them because they were just a few and in my bathroom of all places. No food EVER in there. But I refuse to use a spray because of the cats. But then I found the wet catfood covered in them. Apparently they sent out Lewis and Clark and discovered the food. And the cats REFUSED to eat from the dish with ants, so that food was wasted. And now I don’t know how to proceed. Cause they aren’t going to go away now that they’ve found the glory land of where I feed the cats.

    Liked by 1 person

    • My cats won’t eat the food with ants on it either. If you can rig up elevating it a bit with a saucer of water around it, it might work. I feed and pick up the food right away.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. It’s still early for us to get ants but it’s hot and dry… that’s when we see them. They’re either thirsty, hot or both. Fingers crossed our bug guy has done his job. They don’t shock me like they used to but if I find them in the cabinets or the pantry I’m on speed dial to the Bug Guy. Palmetto bugs—now that’s a different kind of creepy! So you did win this one 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. We have ants every spring. I’ve used a mixture of Borax powder and sugar which seems to work well. Squishing them doesn’t bother me at all after all these years!

    Pauleen Driscoll

    Liked by 1 person

    • I have to pick up the cat food as soon as the cats are done or I’ll get them there too. I don’t put food on the counters against the outside walls, just on the island. They are annoying.

      Like

  14. I’m waiting for the first ant to appear indoors. We get them every year and last year was awful!
    The internet suggested grated lemon rind, so I went off to the supermarket for a lemon. I could buy a pack of 6 or 8, but separate? Nope. Then there were waxed ones, useless as no grateable zest. Finally I found one, and we dutifully dezested it, putting little piles in the cupboards. My sugar container is still in a plastic bag with a heavy duty clip on it. Honey, golden syrup and marmalade jars are in plastic bags. We still have the diatomaceous earth which we sprinkled under carpets and skirting boards. That seems to sort them out.
    Enter at your peril Ants!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. All the rain lately probably helped send them inside to find a nice, dry place and maybe some food here and there. They are probably wondering why you don’t care to play the gracious hostess.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.