invasion...

... that is making me crazy. We had the Bug Man come a couple of weeks ago to spray for ants, that were all over the stove top and counters. That seemed to solve the problem. But not for long. They are back in full force.

I have sprayed walls, sink and counter tops with ammonia three times in the past two days. When the guy came months ago, looked at the ants, he told me to get the Windex, when I said I did not want to put toxic stuff on the food surfaces. He assured me that spraying the ants with the glass cleaner was going to solve the problem: it stops them in their tracks. Yes, it really does. But does nothing to slow down the ones who are in the rear guard, thousands following the ones who are leading the way.

After spraying the stove top again this afternoon, and deciding to cook something tonight, it needed to be cleaned off: surprising to find the troops came out while I was away and cleaned up all the corpses. They did not get all the ones that were advancing in vast numbers who got sprayed and fell off the upper edge of the wall, but all the ones on the stove top had disappeared. So they must come out and clear the battlefield after the skirmish is over.

I put in another call to the pest service, but have not gotten any results. The Bug Man tried to make me believe that the ants are coming in through the attic. He wanted to convince me the tiny creatures climb up trees (which I can definitely believe) and drop off the limbs onto the roof, make their way into the house. Hmmmm..... Or just start nesting in the gutters, so when you don't keep them cleaned out and debris free the insects multiply. Produce more mouths to feed, and a greater need for food and water. Explaining why they are coming across the top edge of the walls in a steady stream, walking from the brick work on the fireplace all the way around the room and down to the sink. Which for a minuscule ant is probably like crossing the continent.

I have sprayed ammonia on the walls so many times, the room will have to be repainted due to streaks and water stains running down.  I am so frustrated I want to break something. The guys must know how annoyed I am and do not want to listen to me rant, so they are not calling back. I have swept up thousands and thousands of little ant corpses in the past two weeks, and there is no end in sight. Plus every time I feel the slightest tickle any where on my person, I think an ant is crawling....