Ants: An Update

My apologies for leaving my readers—both of you—hanging in regards to the ant situation I wrote about last week.  Please accept this update as my way of making it up to you.

As I stated before, I left the ants to their own devices last weekend, with nothing more than a little goo-filled trap keeping them at bay.  So I was a little worried that I’d return on Monday to find my desk carried off somewhere and my hidden snacks devoured.  But alas, I was to be disappointed.  Or rather, relieved.  A few ants still crawled around here and there along the floor and walls, but the trap didn’t look like it had caught anybody new, and my desk and snacks were well intact.

I continued smooshing the wanderers who dared to venture into the open throughout the day, until I saw Jim, the elusive maintenance man.  I showed Jim the goo trap, which was spotted like a Dalmatian, with about 40 dead ants inside.  He was impressed by the number of ants my trap had ensnared, but I scoffed.  “You should have seen the first one. It was so full I had to throw it out,” I said.  “And I’ve been smooshing a bunch more along the walls and floors.”  I inquired as to whether he had an easier, more effective way of killing the bugs, and was quickly supplied with a spray bottle of poison. 

I set to work hosing down every little crack and crease along the floor, walls, and window frame.  When the fumes began to overwhelm me, I opened the window.  Soon, ants were dying and I didn’t even have to lift a finger.  Which was good, because my fingers already had a lot of ant guts on them. 

The poison continued to work its magic throughout the week (it’s supposed to be effective for up to 12 months), and I only had to get my fingers dirty a couple more times.  On Friday, I decided to do a little spring cleaning and get the poisoned and crushed ants off the walls and window sill.  By the time I left at the end of the week, nothing in my office was crawling.  But, having spent most of my life in bedrooms and apartments that sit below ground level, like my office does, I’m sure it won’t be long before we again have visitors.