The Ant Wars: Revisiting the Rules of Engagement

Now that we've discovered the home base of our enemy, a proposal has been proffered that violates the original rules of engagement. This suggestion comes from a member of the war council. As in any organization, there are two competing schools of thought. In our war with the ants the two schools can be loosely defined as follows:

1. War tactics define us as a people. While the ends are vitally important, the means by which we achieve those ends is a very prominent consideration in our approach to battle.
2. Securing the objective of the battle trumps any and all consideration of whether the means are humane, sustainable or even moral.

In our efforts to identify tactics that would significantly reduce the enemies ability to attack our home, one of the tactics proposed was a chemical bombdropped inside the container of the mailbox. The competing tactic is to surround the mailbox with baits, including the boric acid-honey baits, boric acid-D.E. baits, Spinosad, and, at the suggestion of a friend, instant grits.

After a contentous meeting with tears, screaming, begging and pleading (from me), the bait strategy was agreed upon for now. But tactics aside, the moisture we've had, both falling from the sky and the saturated soil are preventing our use of baits.

And there is another problem: we are now being attacked from our Northwestern corridor, and I cannot find the source of the attack or where the enemy is gaining access to our home.

Rock Shopping

As part of our back yard renovation project, Sue and I decided to go to the local Rocks'r'Us. We decided to meet up there during my lunch break yesterday. She arrived with my oldest son in tow. (There's a whole other story about that, let's just leave it as a lesson in anger management.)

The place we went had different rock everywhere. Red rocks, brown rocks, beige rocks, grey rocks, black rocks, even some pink rocks. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, flat pieces, rectangles, boulders large and small, gravel, etc.

After walking around the acres of rock displays, it became apparent that this is going to be a difficult job. As Sue had an OCD moment, I went into the sales office to get pricing and delivery information. It turns out they do design and construction, too.

The guy is suppossed to call me today to set up a time to come take a look at what we've got to deal with. Maybe he can help out with the ants, too.

This video has nothing to do with our patio project except that it has the word rock in it and for some reason I made the association.

An Ugly Garden

We have an ugly back yard. You can debate me about that all you want, but, since ugly is in the eye of the beholder, my opinion is all that matters.

The back yard just off our patio started off as an attempt at xeriscaping. For the first year the yard looked great. A new pergola, a freshly installed lanscape, and nice fresh mulch made for a pleasing place to sit and enjoy the view. At times hummingbirds would come by and visit while we enjoyed our morning coffee on the patio.

But, as with all things in nature, clean and crisp gives way to overgrown and wild. Don't get me wrong, there is a certain beauty in how flora finds a balance for coexistence, but the disorder of nature's ways would not do for our home.

A few weeks ago I began digging up this garden. The heavy rains we had over this past weekend made this area nice and muddy, and so what I am left with is this:



I'm really hoping this garden renovation works. I hope it pretties up the garden nymph in the background, too.

The Ant Wars. Oh! My God!

The rain was heavy and lasted all morning. My defenses held, the ants, despite their habit of invading immediately after rain, have stayed outside for about 24 hours as of this posting. But the rains have revealed something far more ominous. It is perhaps both a blessing and a curse in this epic battle: I have discovered the source of the ant hordes power. I discovered their true home!

The rain has forced the ants to move their supply line from under the cover of the soil, plants and grass, to the drier paths above ground. With pureness of heart, Sue saw what I was unwilling to see: the ant hordes have a supply line that must extend at least 75 feet, extending from our mailbox all the way to our front doorstep. My initial reaction was, "Oh! My God!"

The ants have taken refuge in a fortress of stone that is our mailbox. Their supply lines are far more complex and far more extensive than I ever anticipated. Like attempting to melt the exposed part of an iceberg, my war will be never ending until I destroy the very foundation of the ants' power, their hidden base of operations, the home of the queen.

For now, I've placed boric acid baits along their supply line, but I fear the tools in my arsenal may not be enough to eliminate the threat. This will require a new level of ant control, perhaps even a new approach to hit the ants where they live.

Stay tuned...

The Ant Wars. In D.E. (diatomaceous earth) We Trust?

All is quiet along the Ant War front. The predicted rains didn't come this weekend, and as such, the ants did not invade. Over the course of the entire weekend, I spotted one ant. One! And I used a mechanical strategy for eliminating this solitary scout, my thumb.

The war plan now includes yet another stealth weapon in my fight to eliminate the threat of future ant invasions. I am now sprinkling a bit of diatomaceous earth (DE) on the dogs' food AND the cat's food.

As I've learned in this process of non-chemical pest control, there are two types of diatomaceous earth. The kind to use in Ant Wars is "food grade" DE. Food grade DE is a natural supplement used to help rid animals of intestinal parasites. DE is the fossilized remains of tiny little plants that grow in sea water. The fossils are covered in tiny jagged edges that can cut parasitic worms from the inside, resulting in their death. Sprinkling the DE on their food also discourages the ants from a readily available food source. So this one material has multiple benefits for the animals, protecting their food from ant invasions and keeping their intestines free of parasites.

I left the perimeter defenses in place from Friday, and this morning the rains came. The weather forecast is calling for rain all week, making my exterior defenses ineffective. With the Spinosad and exterior baits neutralized, we are forced to rely on the DE/boric acid mixture in the window sills as a mechanical defense, a few strategically placed boric acid/honey baits in the kitchen and we'll be using the orange oil spray as a surface cleaner and contact ant control.

May God be with us.

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....

A Father's Worth - Dr. Suess Style

My kids don't read, they come ask me
to read to them about the things they see.
To read of witches, lions and bears
who sleep through the winter in their cold, deep, dark lairs.

I read to them on the couch,
I read to them so they don't slouch.
I read to them in their bed,
I put ideas in their head.

I read to them while they eat.
they listen while they chew their meat.
I read to them in the yard,
that's where I read stuff that's really hard.

If you see what I see, you'll see indeed,
my kids need me because I read.