We're Under Attack

With Spring comes all the blossoms on the trees and all the beautiful flowers . . . and all of the bugs.

A colony of tiny, little, teenie weenie, pesky ants have invaded one counter of our kitchen. They visited for awhile last summer and we finally got rid of them. Now they're back.

We've set out traps. We've sprayed. We thought we had them on the run. But ants are tough critters, not to mention the fact that their colonies can number in the thousands.

They seem to really like the coffee pot. The coffee pot gives off moisture and usually creates a very small pool of water underneath it. The ants need soil, they need food, and they need moisture. We've worked hard at eliminating any single, tiny, little crumb. But they go straight for the coffee pot.

This morning I came downstairs and found about a dozen little ants running around the counter, and about a dozen more under the coffee pot.

The ants seem to think that it's some kind of resort spa.

"Hey, Fred," I imagine one saying to another. "Want to go upstairs to the hot springs? We can relax awhile and soak up some warmth."

When I picked up the coffee pot this morning it did seem like a little ant resort. A couple of the ants looked like they were swimming, others were just kicking back enjoying the scenery. It even looked like a little volleyball game had started along the northern side of the hot spring.

It all looked very relaxing and enjoyable, at least until the big guy grabbed the ant spray and a paper towel.

We hunt them all day long, whenever they appear. We thought they'd get the hint by now. They have to communicate in some way to conduct themselves so well in groups as they do.

The ants officially have been given 24-hours notice to get out. If not? Well we're going to bring in the big guns. This Spring we're definitely going to have the exterminator give the house a complete treatment.

With the beauty of Spring, the world coming to life before our eyes, comes both the goods and the bads, the balances of life, the Heavens and the Hells.

Life on Earth does seem to be about maintaining balances. But the weeds are still coming out of the yard. And the ants are still going to be driven out of the kitchen.