blue artichoke

After leaving out delicious orange muffins to tempt ants to invade my kitchen last weekend, I've decided they need to leave. There have been only a few at a time on the kitchen walls, counter and cupboards, but after smooshing them only to have more appear, it's time to increase the arsenal. Finger-smooshing is the first line of defense. When that doesn't staunch the flow of ants, I move to Hot Shot Kitchen Bug Killer. It's supposed to be safe for food prep surfaces. I guess it is, because we haven't suffered burning throats or convulsions yet. Anyway, I've done one cabinet at a time, hoping that the ants will move on to the next cabinet and I'll get them all at once. First I remove everything from the cupboard, then I fumigate the cupboard and run, choking, from the kitchen. When it clears out, I do a second coat of ant killer and go to bed. In the morning, I wipe out all the tiny carcases, and, while the cabinets are empty, I paint the inside back wall of the cabinet. They were a grimy dusty rose similar to the color of vomit. Ick. I painted the kitchen a nice light blue last spring, but forgot the inside of the cabinets. So, when life gives you ants, redecorate! If the Hot Shot and paint doesn't do the trick, my last weapon is borax powder. It's supposed to stick to their legs and poison the whole colony when the ants return to their nests. Anticide!

Getting to Know All About You: Got any good household pest remedies?