When the ants come marching in...

Well we seem to have ourselves a little ant problem. By little I mean, they're huge carpenter ants that may just carry me away in the cover of night. I HATE bugs. A bug is a bug to me, I hate them equally one and all. So to solve this problem, my dear husband set out these little bate things. Which really don't seem to be doing a whole heckuva lot. He doesn't want to spray. Okay, so what are our options then? Let them move in? I know with all the current hype about eco friendly everything, that bug spray is probably on the top of the no-no list. But I have to say, if it kills em, I'm all for it. I do have a list of natural remedies that may, or may not, work. These include peppermint, orange peels, cream of tartar, etc. Now I am not above giving these things a try, but I can't see myself laying orange peels around my baseboards and sprinkling cream of tartar and crushed peppermint on the outside of the house. Do you have any idea how many cases of cream of tartar I would need to purchase to get the job done? Maybe for minor infestations these might work, but let me tell ya, we have a situation on our hands over here! We did conclude that they are probably coming from the beams above us in the living room. These beams, unbenownst to us before we moved in, are rotten and need replaced. And we all know that carpenter ants love damp rotten wood. So it stands to reason they would cozy in there. Fortunatley we only see these little creeps on one floor of the house, and many die before I have the chance to kill them. But some are still alive and severly creeping me out. I am constantly swatting myself when nothing is there. I question my sanity at this point, but c'mon, bugs just give me the heeby jeebies! It's the same reason why I am not the biggest fan of camping. The last time I went, I woke up in the morning and opened my eyes to a huge daddy long legs staring at me. This is not cool. Bugs were made for out there, humans were made for in here. You go there, I stay here, and we're all good. So I talked to his (my husband's) best friend today, and you know that if I as his wife can't talk sense into him, who better to do the job? So Scott called tonight and voila, all of a sudden he's thinking maybe we should get a second opinion (besides his) on this whole ant situation. Ya think? I am calling to get quotes tomorrow! Yay! There is light at the end of this dark creepy tunnel! I don't know about you, but for me, the site of bugs crawling amongst us, no matter what KIND of bug, I just can't take it. Okay now I can handle a bug or two, that's to be expected, we live on the outskirts of town with woods around us. But to have them migrate from faraway lands and claim this, our new home, as THEIR new home, is NOT acceptable! I am reminded of the mucinex commercial, only in my mind, instead of the mucus with their little suitcases, I envision ants. lol I have, on the bright side, found a magical solution that is non toxic to kill them AND also does a great job on windows! A couple squirts of Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle, fill the rest with water, and spray. It suffocates them instantly and gives the windows a glorious streak free shine. So that has been my sad delight on what was probably the last gorgeous day we'll have for several more. I am the ant suffocator. And I delighted in it. I have no problem with them outside. I will go out of my way not to step on them when they're on THEIR turf. But when they have the nerve to think they're going to set up a circus in my home, it's ON! They may win a battle or two, but I shall win the war! I did however take a break from the bug executions today and took a bike ride with Brandon. That was so nice! Although a bug flew down my shirt towards the end of our trek and almost made me crash, I avoided disaster and quickly went home to my garage where I flailed and jumped and flapped my shirt up and down much like the wet tshirt contest girls do. lol The bug died of shock I think, it just fell out, didn't even fight me. Anyway onward and upward I say! Til next time.....