7.21.2010

And they all go marching down

One time I ate ants for breakfast.
No wait, let me explain.

Back when I was a college student living off cereal, scrambled eggs and frozen burritos, my roommate had this huge ceramic mug from DI that I loved. It held more than my bowls did, so anytime I could I used it for cereal. And ice cream.

One morning I poured myself a mug of LIFE and sat down on our couch to eat it - without turning on any lights, of course. I was halfway through before I looked down and realized there were little black dots floating all over in my milk. Closer look: ANTS. LOTS of them. GROSS.
Further investigation proved that the ants were in the cereal, not the mug, so I threw away the cereal and poured the mug-contents down the sink. I still have no idea how (or why?) the ants got there. They didn't touch anything else in the apartment cupboards.
From then on, I always turned the lights on to eat my breakfast.

Well, this summer our house is infested with bugs. Ants mostly, but I've killed my fair share of spiders, centipedes, crickets and beetles, too. Just this morning I came across something large and black scuttling across the tile hall into the bathroom. Poor Liam jumped when I screamed, then cried as I tried to pick it up with the dustpan to throw it outside.
(I didn't want to touch it.)
(Or kill it, because it would have crunched and grossed me out even more.)
(But I ended up chopping it in half with the dustpan, so it is now dead anyway.)

So I'm learning some important things, like:
don't go to bed without cleaning and wiping down all kitchen counters,
don't leave dishes anywhere with anything sweet in them,
ants can move very large pieces of food (like almonds) across carpet,
if something itches it is most likely an ant crawling on my skin,
and also, ants really like shrimp.

Did you know that?

Well, now you do.

7 comments:

  1. I have had that same ants-in-the-cereal experience. Not my favorite.

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  2. Can I just pause you for a moment to tell you how much I LOVE your blog? I enjoy it beyond words, really. I'm always so excited to see that you've updated it =0) I love your writing style and Liam is a DOLL! Hope to see him in person soon!

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  3. Well, garsh, thanks Dani! You just made my day! I hope we see you soon too - your little guy looks darling himself.

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  4. Rachel!! I remember how horrible those ants were downstairs!! Oh how much I LOATH ants!! I feel your pain! :)

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  5. So, we had this discussion a little while ago with a neighbor of ours in Saint Louis. He told us that corn meal kills them, or repels them--one of the two. You might try that along with the other killers...we didn't seem to have much luck with the little store-bought ones. -Brent

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  6. Ortho Home Defense - Best stuff EVER! Just spray it outside around the base of your house and around the windows and doors. No more bugs! It is also safe to spray inside if you have particularly bad problem areas. It is about $9-12 at home depot and will last you all year. You spray 4 times a year.

    If you are completely against pesticides then you can also use cinnamon...sugar ants (the black ones) hate it and stay away from it.

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  7. Apparently the bugs like your side of the street better (I'm insanely happy about that!) Seen some ants on the driveway, but narely a bug inside - not even any spiders that I've noticed. If I see any though, I'll happily inform them that the party is at your house :)

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