Living With Ants

I moved into my apartment back in July expecting your average, not quite rundown one-bedroom suite. On the surface, that's exactly what I got. I noticed an ant here and there crawling around, but nothing too major. I cleaned the place top to bottom and started working a lot.

As the weeks wore on and I started being at home a bit more I noticed them more and more. What you should understand is that these are not big black ants but rather tiny red ants that are pretty much harmless. I knew that this was maybe more than a small problem when I happened to miss cleaning up a small leaf of lettuce on the kitchen counter. I came home from work and it was COVERED in ants. I killed them all and disposed of them, hoping I wouldn't run into that problem again! Unfortunately it only got worse. 

I started noticing them crawling on the walls and in the sink in the bathroom. I saw them crawling across my computer screen and without feeling any remorse I would squish each one with my finger, having a strange sense of satisfaction after each time. They thankfully weren't anywhere in my bedroom, and seemed to leave alone any other food that I happened to have out while making supper. 

I finally got frustrated when I went to do the dishes one day and hadn't turned the tap on for a few days. Ants started spilling out around the water tap! The kept coming and coming, and I kept killing and killing, until finally I could actually start the dishes. Ants are the worst when I go to take out the garbage, especially if there is lettuce in there! I gladly carry them out to the disposal bin and give myself a victory point.

What I have noticed recently is that they like my water glass. I have to check and double check that there are no ants in there when I go to drink. They bunch up in a clump right in the middle of the glass. Did they not see  their friends die that way too? I supposed they went to help out. 

I have learned to live with these little creatures. I almost think they are cute and comforting. The ants are always there for a laugh, or for a task to take care of.  I know not where they come from, but I believe they are here to stay.  Since they have not harmed me, I can live with squishing them one by one til I actually convince myself that they will eventually one day disappear.