The Ants Go Marching One by One
:and the little one stops to eat ’til it’s done:
Carpenter ants. They’re back and they are terrorizing me once again. About 25 years ago, they ate the beams of the old garage of our first home until the whole roof caved in. Last summer, they ate the lintel beams under a doorway at our old log cabin cottage until the inside hallway gave way. Well, never again I say. Never again! Now, the mere sight of any ant sends me into near hysterics and certain nightmares.
The other day, I found a big fat black ant on our stone patio outside of our brick house with no wood in site. Could it be a dreaded carpenter ant? Naturally, I reacted by squishing it under my shoe after which I realized it was now too late examine it’s body to make any determination of its genus. So yesterday when I found another one, I sprayed it with some Off! Repellant sitting nearby only to watch the defiant ant double back and play in the puddle of poison I created before marching off. I quickly turned a little candle holder upside down and decided I’d check in the morning. Today, when I lifted the candle pot, the darn ant was still alive! Barely, but alive and I was now wracked with guilt and loathing at the same moment. Anyway, the little sucker was slow enough that I got a very close-up and good look and yes, it was a dreaded carpenter ant. Tomorrow, poor hubby John will have to climb the neighbours fences while we examine every tree in the area. We’ll find them damn it. We’ll find them! There is no way some tree is going to fall on our house: Is there?
