"The ants march in the ants march out,
The ants march up and about your snout."
Do you remember singing this familiar song while marching around with childhood friends on ant and insect hunts?
With a late spring and cool temperatures the ants have stayed, underground or where ever it is they stay, until warm weather brings them outdoors. Ant swarms dot my sidewalk. Both large swarms of them and small piles of sand show their spring house cleaning has begun.
Usually the ants come indoors for a few weeks mid-spring, until it is consistantly warm enough to gather food outside. Perhaps their winter stores are depleted and our homes are a perfect emergency '72 hour kit' with plenty of food and to spare. No matter what I do they usually are found running bootleg from my kitchen to infinity and beyond. Or at work my lunch bag, left on the floor, has been invaded by these six legged "what's yours is mine" creatures.
It may take a while before we notice one ambitious ant first, then a trail of them trying to pack away the kitchen sink. Soon we realize they are back in force. No amount of sweeping, mopping or tidying will hamper their wagon train toting off whatever they like. Vacuum often or you'll discover they are even in your carpet under Dad's favorite chair, gathering crumbs from last nights snacks.
Can you imagine their conversations, "What a haul at the house on the corner." "Tell your family it is a smorgasboard." "We have hit the mother lode in that room!" All the while we are oblivious to them 'marching in, out and about."
Keep an eye out for them, because they will be back, sooner or later!
Oooooh, ew... When we get ants in our house, I sit there for hours with the Central Vac and suck up each and every little bugger that comes through the cracks. It's kind of an OCD thing for me. Thankfully they haven't been back this year, but I'm armed and ready for when they show up.
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