Tainted Love
I should be working, but I wanted to add another entry to my collection of household pest rants.
I have an ant problem. Typically, every year I have a brief spat with the tiny ants before they decide that it's not worth it and move on to greener pastures. This year, they got a head start while I was out of town. Scrubbing the floor and counter did not deter them. Boric acid, at least as a line drawn on the floor, proved a mere setback (they're so small that they can always find a way around). It may even have bolstered their enthusiasm. So, as a final step before going to scary products with DANGER! on the can (boric acid has only "caution", and is supposed to be much less horrible than most pesticides), I made bait.
Imagine if you will, me, performing home chemistry, sitting on my living room floor, wearing dish washing gloves (yes, yes, it's not toxic enough to warrant it, really, but I'm a complete coward with chemicals). It's nothing but sugar water tainted with boric acid. Theoretically, the proportions should be correct to slowly poison entire colony and the queen as the workers bring the stuff back (call me Dr. Horrible, and perhaps a Mwahahaha is in order). If the proportions aren't correct, at least they're concentrating on the floor and not the counter and cabinets. Although there are a really frightening number of tiny ants swarming around the bait. . . . If you don't hear from me again, I've been eaten by tiny black ants.
I have an ant problem. Typically, every year I have a brief spat with the tiny ants before they decide that it's not worth it and move on to greener pastures. This year, they got a head start while I was out of town. Scrubbing the floor and counter did not deter them. Boric acid, at least as a line drawn on the floor, proved a mere setback (they're so small that they can always find a way around). It may even have bolstered their enthusiasm. So, as a final step before going to scary products with DANGER! on the can (boric acid has only "caution", and is supposed to be much less horrible than most pesticides), I made bait.
Imagine if you will, me, performing home chemistry, sitting on my living room floor, wearing dish washing gloves (yes, yes, it's not toxic enough to warrant it, really, but I'm a complete coward with chemicals). It's nothing but sugar water tainted with boric acid. Theoretically, the proportions should be correct to slowly poison entire colony and the queen as the workers bring the stuff back (call me Dr. Horrible, and perhaps a Mwahahaha is in order). If the proportions aren't correct, at least they're concentrating on the floor and not the counter and cabinets. Although there are a really frightening number of tiny ants swarming around the bait. . . . If you don't hear from me again, I've been eaten by tiny black ants.