Post by angelminx on Apr 3, 2015 18:19:48 GMT -5
I always have a problem with ants at this time of year, especially when it has rained. I can never tell where they are coming from--I've tried to track them down numerous times, and have never found their entry point(s). I found them today when I woke up...they had (as usual) congregated around the Kleenex that I used overnight. I always have to move my bedroom trashcan to the far end of the room, and quit using it to throw away my Kleenex--which necessitates going into the bathroom and throwing them into the toilet every time I finish with one. A couple of times when I had a cold last year (after I had emptied the can and had a fresh trash bag in it), I would wake up in the middle of the night and the whole thing (trash bag and Kleenex) would be covered in ants, and I would have to go and dump the "new" bag in the garbage can outside, because there would be no other way to get rid of them and salvage the bag as well. I hate to spray for them because of the cat.
Anyway, my Rainbowfish are happy ...I read that in nature they will eat ants, so now I am making multiple trips to the tank they are in with the unwanted guests ! I'd like to find something I can "keep" them in as I collect them, instead of always running back and forth, but I don't know if it's a good idea to have a lid screwed onto a jar to keep them in, since it also keeps air from getting in. Of course I will still be making multiple "trips" to catch them, since they're uncooperative little buggers, and don't show up on schedule. I wet my finger tip, and touch it to the ant(s) to get them to stick, and hope I don't crush them, then run them to the tank, hopefully before they fall off/get away before I get to the tank. It's irritating, because I can look, and they aren't there (they are usually in singles--to maybe three or four--and usually crawling in the middle of the wall away from, but near a window), and then it's like I blink, and there they are ! This, of course, goes on all throughout the day. They never seem to get the message that they are not wanted--even if I leave the crushed remains where I found the ant(s) in the 1st place!
The big thing about these particular ants is that they are the ones that stink (formic acid?) when you crush them--and they taste like they smell , I know because many years ago, I had taken a Lifesavers out of my purse and popped it into my mouth before I realized that ants had gotten into my purse, and it. What's funny is that my brother's cat would go crazy for them--he'd drool and slobber all over the place, and rub his face in them (especially if you crushed them)!
Edit: Last year they stuck around at least 5 months !
[4/4/15, PM, Edit #2: re-inserted Smileys]
Anyway, my Rainbowfish are happy ...I read that in nature they will eat ants, so now I am making multiple trips to the tank they are in with the unwanted guests ! I'd like to find something I can "keep" them in as I collect them, instead of always running back and forth, but I don't know if it's a good idea to have a lid screwed onto a jar to keep them in, since it also keeps air from getting in. Of course I will still be making multiple "trips" to catch them, since they're uncooperative little buggers, and don't show up on schedule. I wet my finger tip, and touch it to the ant(s) to get them to stick, and hope I don't crush them, then run them to the tank, hopefully before they fall off/get away before I get to the tank. It's irritating, because I can look, and they aren't there (they are usually in singles--to maybe three or four--and usually crawling in the middle of the wall away from, but near a window), and then it's like I blink, and there they are ! This, of course, goes on all throughout the day. They never seem to get the message that they are not wanted--even if I leave the crushed remains where I found the ant(s) in the 1st place!
The big thing about these particular ants is that they are the ones that stink (formic acid?) when you crush them--and they taste like they smell , I know because many years ago, I had taken a Lifesavers out of my purse and popped it into my mouth before I realized that ants had gotten into my purse, and it. What's funny is that my brother's cat would go crazy for them--he'd drool and slobber all over the place, and rub his face in them (especially if you crushed them)!
Edit: Last year they stuck around at least 5 months !
[4/4/15, PM, Edit #2: re-inserted Smileys]