The Ant Wars: Mercenary Campaign, Part 2

The brave knight I hired to vanquish our household enemy, the piss ant, had to be recalled. He had come out and performed nobly in his attempt to dissuade the invading hordes from entering our home. For a full week, my enemy was held at bay. On about d-day +8 the enemy had again breached our defenses, so I recalled our mercenary.

He returned, aerosolized d-limonene in hand. After a short debriefing of the operational status, he went on a mission to inspect the perimeter of our fortress to seek out the source of the breeches. Returning to the command center to report, his furrowed brow belied his distress. His search for the source of the breech had been unsuccessful.

So we decided another inspection was in order, but this time I joined our warrior as a guide. Soon we discovered a massive enemy supply line. We then followed this superhighway of formicidae out into the back yard. The supply line stretched well over 70 feet to the perimeter and then branched out to several parts of our home, but mostly in the kitchen.

A massive nest was discovered in our back yard. Together we disrupted the nest, poisoned the supply routes with orange oil, and then sprinkled a bait all around the well-camouflaged colony.

Within an hour, the ant invasion had abated. Today, several weeks later, the ants have yet to return.

Now that the natural balance has again been disturbed, I patiently and watchfully wait to discover where the next enemy will appear.

The Ant Wars - Mutiny?

The vast ant armies launched their version of the Tet Offensive. For about a week we were overrun, fighting back the invading armies with the best weapons in our arsenal. Orange oil mixture as a front line weapon, boric acid and D.E. to create an impenetrable barrier, Spinosad bait to take them out from within, and my thumb as a last resort.

Ants were everywhere, in the kitchen, in the sun room, in the boys' bedrooms, and in the master bathroom. The only defenses that proved worthy was the the defenses established at the very beginning of our war, the dining room.

Ants had gotten into our home to such an extent, we had to put cereal in the fridge, all dry goods went in zipper bags, and the dogs had twenty minutes to eat, then the food was picked up.

But one day last week, the offensive stopped. Oh sure, I'll see a lone ant scout every now and again, but for the most part, the ants are not entering the house.

I don't know why the ants aren't coming in anymore, but I have two theories:

1. The Spinosad baits and the boric acid applications are working. The colonies are sick, and the queen is dying.
2. I've noticed a couple of fire ant mounds in the yard. I noticed them at about the same time the little sugar ants stopped coming into the house. Is it possible that the more aggressive fire ants are attacking the sugar ant colonies and providing a mutinous distraction for the Ant Armies leadership?

If the latter is true, I may need to adjust my strategy to encourage an extended battle between the two ant clans. Is it so unthinkable in my effort to eliminate the sugar ants, that for now I actually encourage and support them so that their civil war becomes more protracted?
For now I'll wait and watch. I'll strengthen the defensive perimeter, I will attack my enemy's enemy, and I will table the tactic of sickening the queen with bait. This is a gamble, to be certain. But all too often it is in misplaced pride that the consequences end in disaster.

The Ant Wars. The Calm Before the Storm

The weather forecast calls for a decent chance of rain today and tomorrow. During our last rain event, the first great ant invasion took place, catching us off guard. I am determined to not be caught off guard again.

I spent this morning fortifying my defenses. I sprayed the kitchen surfaces down with orange oil, making sure to leave a heavy coating of the spray in the areas the evil ant armies prefer to attack. I put a dusting of the diatomaceous earth and boric acid mixture along all the window sills. There are a few strategically placed boric acid baits indoors in an effort to distract and confuse the enemy. I also sprinkled a tablespoon of diatomaceous earth on the dogs' food bowls to further discourage the invading hordes. My outdoor baits, especially the Spinosad, will probably be rendered ineffective due to the rain.

I've thrown my entire arsenal at the enemy.

The past few days have been eerily calm. I can almost hear the drumbeat of the advancing armies....

The Ant Wars. Invading Hordes!

There everywhere! Crawling across the counters. Invading the pantry. Infiltrating my son’s bedroom. They are even finding their way into the master bathroom. We’ve been invaded!

I am forced to employ a strategy of direct contact to beat back this might invasion force. They are incessant in their attack, finding gaps in the perimeter, and making their way into places they are not invited. I hate ants!

True to the rules of engagement, I am now forced to employ a solution to this invasion.

Using a standard 32 oz. spray bottle, I filled it with water, added 1 oz. of orange oil and a drop of dish soap. I love this stuff! Use this concoction to spray directly on the ants. Within seconds, the ants are dead. Their little bodies literally melt. It’s great fun to watch.

In addition to direct contact, the ants won’t crawl through it. The problem is that the stuff evaporates pretty quickly, so it is useful as a temporary barrier only. BTW, orange oil spray will melt any critter with an exoskeleton, but is perfectly safe for pets and people.

So yesterday, the boys and I, each armed with orange oil spray searched the house looking for ants. Walking from room to room, we beat back the invading armies, watching the foot soldiers fall in battle, beaten back by our biological weapons. But I fear, our victory is only temporary. Further strategies are needed to weaken the enemy further.