The Small Stuff That Doesn’t Need a Thread #5

[Zorral]

For the second of three spring seasons we have been invaded by hordes of teeeny tiny brown ants.  Spring 2021 for reasons only these ants can know it was my computer desk that had them swarming all over it.  Now the thing is this is a normal sighting at this time of the year for these invasions -- for some reason they are in search of moisture, not crumbs and that sort of thing.  Google told me white distilled vinegar is the non toxic remedy for us humans to make them go away.  The vinegar totally scrambles their scent smarts so they can't go back to the nest and tell everyone GO THERE MOISTURE. Ants do all their navigation/communication via scent.

(There is no moisture on my computer desk of course - so why did they choose that place?)  It took about 5 days once I understood what was going to rid us of them with constant white vinegar spraying and putting white vinegar soaked Bounty towels in strategic places such as the windows, but we never saw them there, but nevermind we thought.

They didn't come back last spring.

Yesterday they showed up at the wall of the bathtub where there IS moisture, i.e. bathtub!.  Began spraying immediately.  Yesterday afternoon and night our apartment smelled like potato salad, but nevermind.  By this morning they were gone.  Sprayed some more anyway in the morning.  No more until this evening, when we spied a few.  Spraying some more.  Expect to do this again for another few days.

Until about two weekends ago we were in drought.  The rains may have waked them up from their desiccated ant hive or something like.

But it seems to work.  If one actually likes potato salad this is a remedy that is just fine.

And it isn't Raid or anything like that which isn't so good for we human beings' systems either.

[dog-days]

Remember at my last place the day after I broke up with my partner there was a sudden plague of houseflies. They were all over the place in the kitchen and living room. It was alarming to start with, like suddenly finding yourself caught up in a B-horror movie. To my relief, they were quite willing to fly out of the window without much encouragement. 

Some good news: actress Siân Phillips turns 90 today. I think of her as the Empress Livia in I Claudius ("There is nothing in this world that occurs to you that does not occur to me first. That is the affliction I live with"), as the Second Voice in the BBC's 2003 radio adaptation of Under Milk Wood, and as Gwyn's Nain in the TV version of The Snow Spider.  Her voice is one of the most beautiful I've heard – up there with the late Alan Rickman imo. Siân Phillips on Wikipedia. 

Edited May 14, 2023 by dog-days

[Larry of the Lawn]

12 hours ago, Zorral said:

For the second of three spring seasons we have been invaded by hordes of teeeny tiny brown ants.  Spring 2021 for reasons only these ants can know it was my computer desk that had them swarming all over it.  Now the thing is this is a normal sighting at this time of the year for these invasions -- for some reason they are in search of moisture, not crumbs and that sort of thing.  Google told me white distilled vinegar is the non toxic remedy for us humans to make them go away.  The vinegar totally scrambles their scent smarts so they can't go back to the nest and tell everyone GO THERE MOISTURE. Ants do all their navigation/communication via scent.

(There is no moisture on my computer desk of course - so why did they choose that place?)  It took about 5 days once I understood what was going to rid us of them with constant white vinegar spraying and putting white vinegar soaked Bounty towels in strategic places such as the windows, but we never saw them there, but nevermind we thought.

They didn't come back last spring.

Yesterday they showed up at the wall of the bathtub where there IS moisture, i.e. bathtub!.  Began spraying immediately.  Yesterday afternoon and night our apartment smelled like potato salad, but nevermind.  By this morning they were gone.  Sprayed some more anyway in the morning.  No more until this evening, when we spied a few.  Spraying some more.  Expect to do this again for another few days.

Until about two weekends ago we were in drought.  The rains may have waked them up from their desiccated ant hive or something like.

But it seems to work.  If one actually likes potato salad this is a remedy that is just fine.

And it isn't Raid or anything like that which isn't so good for we human beings' systems either.

Sorry for your ant troubles and hope they are remedied soon, but... Who's doesn't like potato salad?

[BigFatCoward]

40 minutes ago, Larry of the Lake said:

Sorry for your ant troubles and hope they are remedied soon, but... Who's doesn't like potato salad?

Too many calories for the taste. You might as well eat a pizza as potato slathered with mayo. 

[Zorral]

4 hours ago, Larry of the Lake said:

Sorry for your ant troubles and hope they are remedied soon, but... Who's doesn't like potato salad?

Well, they came back in a wave yesterday evening.

But none this morning, I thought.  But then ... there they were, all inside the waste basket!  This is going to be a long war, it looks like.  They are so teeny they can get into anywhere.

And ya, I do really like potato salad, though I only make it in summer.  Perhaps, though, maybe after this war, I'll have lost my taste for it this summer. 

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by Zorral

[A Horse Named Stranger]

17 hours ago, Zorral said:

For the second of three spring seasons we have been invaded by hordes of teeeny tiny brown ants.  Spring 2021 for reasons only these ants can know it was my computer desk that had them swarming all over it.  Now the thing is this is a normal sighting at this time of the year for these invasions -- for some reason they are in search of moisture, not crumbs and that sort of thing.  Google told me white distilled vinegar is the non toxic remedy for us humans to make them go away.  The vinegar totally scrambles their scent smarts so they can't go back to the nest and tell everyone GO THERE MOISTURE. Ants do all their navigation/communication via scent.

(There is no moisture on my computer desk of course - so why did they choose that place?)  It took about 5 days once I understood what was going to rid us of them with constant white vinegar spraying and putting white vinegar soaked Bounty towels in strategic places such as the windows, but we never saw them there, but nevermind we thought.

They didn't come back last spring.

Yesterday they showed up at the wall of the bathtub where there IS moisture, i.e. bathtub!.  Began spraying immediately.  Yesterday afternoon and night our apartment smelled like potato salad, but nevermind.  By this morning they were gone.  Sprayed some more anyway in the morning.  No more until this evening, when we spied a few.  Spraying some more.  Expect to do this again for another few days.

Until about two weekends ago we were in drought.  The rains may have waked them up from their desiccated ant hive or something like.

But it seems to work.  If one actually likes potato salad this is a remedy that is just fine.

And it isn't Raid or anything like that which isn't so good for we human beings' systems either.

You use vinegar for potato salad, that is the thing you wanted to say, wasn't it?

[Zorral]

Potato salad depends on the right vinegar as much as it does on the right mustard and mayonnaise, along with the right proportions of celery, eggs and potatoes, yes.  Others would include very finely chopped  onion in that ingredient roster, but Partner's digestion cannot tolerate raw onion.

 

[RhaenysBee]

17 hours ago, Zorral said:

For the second of three spring seasons we have been invaded by hordes of teeeny tiny brown ants.  Spring 2021 for reasons only these ants can know it was my computer desk that had them swarming all over it.  Now the thing is this is a normal sighting at this time of the year for these invasions -- for some reason they are in search of moisture, not crumbs and that sort of thing.  Google told me white distilled vinegar is the non toxic remedy for us humans to make them go away.  The vinegar totally scrambles their scent smarts so they can't go back to the nest and tell everyone GO THERE MOISTURE. Ants do all their navigation/communication via scent.

(There is no moisture on my computer desk of course - so why did they choose that place?)  It took about 5 days once I understood what was going to rid us of them with constant white vinegar spraying and putting white vinegar soaked Bounty towels in strategic places such as the windows, but we never saw them there, but nevermind we thought.

They didn't come back last spring.

Yesterday they showed up at the wall of the bathtub where there IS moisture, i.e. bathtub!.  Began spraying immediately.  Yesterday afternoon and night our apartment smelled like potato salad, but nevermind.  By this morning they were gone.  Sprayed some more anyway in the morning.  No more until this evening, when we spied a few.  Spraying some more.  Expect to do this again for another few days.

Until about two weekends ago we were in drought.  The rains may have waked them up from their desiccated ant hive or something like.

But it seems to work.  If one actually likes potato salad this is a remedy that is just fine.

And it isn't Raid or anything like that which isn't so good for we human beings' systems either.

Wow! I’m so impressed to hear the vinegar truck worked for you. What kinda vinegar did you use? Regular household 20% white vinegar?
 

The other year I had ants too, and I was adamant to get rid of them in a “natural” way. Tried the peppermint, tried tea tree oil, killed the “scouts”, bathed the base boards and door frames in vinegar for weeks. The things just wouldn’t go away. After four weeks in a stinking home, I caved and bought ant repellent. Two hockey puck sized metal boxes that you had to pluck two holes in and place in the ants’ path for them to walk through like a miniature tunnel. I think the idea was that they would march the chemicals back to the nest. It’s chemical and cruel, but after 4 weeks of struggle, my place was ant free in two days, so I guess I’ll just live with this on my conscience. 

[A Horse Named Stranger]

38 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Potato salad depends on the right vinegar as much as it does on the right mustard and mayonnaise, along with the right proportions of celery, eggs and potatoes, yes.  Others would include very finely chopped  onion in that ingredient roster, but Partner's digestion cannot tolerate raw onion.

 

You can also prepare a more basic one without vinegar. Well, you probably can't because of your partner's digestion. But for the sake of the argument.

Potatoes, onions (raw obviously), some olives, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and some oregano (optional). Season with salt (and pepper) as you see fit. 

No mustard, no mayonaise, no eggs, no vinegar.

 

Edit: almost forgot the olives.

Edited May 14, 2023 by A Horse Named Stranger

[maarsen]

58 minutes ago, RhaenysBee said:

Wow! I’m so impressed to hear the vinegar truck worked for you. What kinda vinegar did you use? Regular household 20% white vinegar?
 

The other year I had ants too, and I was adamant to get rid of them in a “natural” way. Tried the peppermint, tried tea tree oil, killed the “scouts”, bathed the base boards and door frames in vinegar for weeks. The things just wouldn’t go away. After four weeks in a stinking home, I caved and bought ant repellent. Two hockey puck sized metal boxes that you had to pluck two holes in and place in the ants’ path for them to walk through like a miniature tunnel. I think the idea was that they would march the chemicals back to the nest. It’s chemical and cruel, but after 4 weeks of struggle, my place was ant free in two days, so I guess I’ll just live with this on my conscience. 

20% white vinegar? Glacial acetic acid is that concentrated and what I use to make photo stop bath, with dilution. Regular vinegar here in Canada is 5%, 10% if you are doing pickling. 

[Zorral]

3 hours ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

No mustard, no mayonaise, no eggs, no vinegar.

I don't know what that it is but it isn't potato salad!  My way is how my great grandmothers and grandmothers and mothers and aunts make / made potato salad.  Fini.  

3 hours ago, RhaenysBee said:

What kinda vinegar did you use? Regular household 20% white vinegar?

5% distilled white vinegar. 

3 hours ago, RhaenysBee said:

I caved and bought ant repellent.

If I'm still battling them in a week, I probably will too.  

I kept a close, constant eye on everything today, and constantly refreshed the vinegar, and laid out pads soaked in vinegar.  There are lot more of them this year than in 2021 so, I dunno if I'll win with this.

Once I discovered their new headquarters in the waste basket, I removed them and everything else outside.  Then I swabbed out the container (it has as step level lid) with vinegar, as well as the top.  For the next few days we aren't using any of these receptacles, putting all waste into disposable bags and taking them out right after preparing meals and so on.

Tonight I'm going to set out shallow plates of vinegar before we go to bed, as well as soaked pads, at spots where they might be entering.  

There were so many other things I'd expected to occupy myself with these last two day, today, and the next few.  Ugh.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Zorral

[A Horse Named Stranger]

42 minutes ago, Zorral said:

I don't know what that it is but it isn't potato salad!  My way is how my great grandmothers and grandmothers and mothers and aunts make / made potato salad.  Fini.  

Well, it's a Greek version of a potato salad.

Feel free to google it. Personally, I just hate mayonaise. So your mother's potato salad (and honestly speaking my mother's) was/is a big no. 

Vinegar or Lemon Juice are in either receipe there to provide some acid. Eggs in a potato salad just sounds  wrong. Anyway, you can vary those mayonaise massacres abit with ingredients. Some pieces of an apple, or pickles. Whatever floats your boat (if you want variations).

[Fragile Bird]

I was so encouraged by the idea of white vinegar getting rid of the ants. 

Back to the diatomaceous earth. (Made from fossils, the stuff is like broken glass and cuts the ants’ exoskeletons).

[Zorral]

35 minutes ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

pickles.

How could I have forgotten the sweet pickle, finely chopped!  I did forget it, but it too is essential.

Eggs in my area's potato salad might be because everybody was a farmer, and everyone had chickens so there were more eggs than people knew what to do with in the summers.  Also gardens and canning, so many, many varieties of pickle, which were served at every meal and lunch except breakfast.

 

[Cas Stark]

5 hours ago, RhaenysBee said:

Wow! I’m so impressed to hear the vinegar truck worked for you. What kinda vinegar did you use? Regular household 20% white vinegar?
 

The other year I had ants too, and I was adamant to get rid of them in a “natural” way. Tried the peppermint, tried tea tree oil, killed the “scouts”, bathed the base boards and door frames in vinegar for weeks. The things just wouldn’t go away. After four weeks in a stinking home, I caved and bought ant repellent. Two hockey puck sized metal boxes that you had to pluck two holes in and place in the ants’ path for them to walk through like a miniature tunnel. I think the idea was that they would march the chemicals back to the nest. It’s chemical and cruel, but after 4 weeks of struggle, my place was ant free in two days, so I guess I’ll just live with this on my conscience. 

Yes.  I waged a 'natural' war on ants using every remedy out there for a few years...vinegar, bleach, coffee grounds, hot pepper, tea tree oil, you name it, no success.  I came home one day and the kitchen looked like a horror film, crawling with ants on the walls the cabinet the floor.  I gave up on co existance and a non pesticide rememdy then and there.  Bombed the house and put out a product called 'terro' that the ants eat and go back to their HQ and it kills everyone. It's poison, so has to kept away from the cats, but it works very well.  Also have diomateous earth as a back up but use that sparingly since it kills other things besides ants.   I haven't killed a bee or a spinder in decades, so the ants can fuck off.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Cas Stark

[Zorral]

11 minutes ago, Cas Stark said:

I came home one day and the kitchen looked like a horror film, crawling with ants on the walls the cabinet the floor.

I am guessing those were a much larger variety of ant, than my infestors.  These are hardly visible to the eye brown ant.  So they have to show up against something light colored like my computer table or the bathtub to be noticed at all, at least if it is only a scout, etc.  So by the time I realize They Are Here, there are a lot of them, because I haven't taken proactive action.

This vinegar thing probably wouldn't work on big, bigger ants than these.  Vinegar was particularly recommended for this variety.

But like the rest of us, if that fails, more toxic measures will need to be taken -- and then leave the apartment for some hours!

At the moment we're ventilating a fog of vinegar fumes, but since the discovery of the ants in the waste can, and the steps since, so far, things have been quiet

[RhaenysBee]

10 hours ago, Zorral said:

If I'm still battling them in a week, I probably will too.  

I kept a close, constant eye on everything today, and constantly refreshed the vinegar, and laid out pads soaked in vinegar.  There are lot more of them this year than in 2021 so, I dunno if I'll win with this.

Once I discovered their new headquarters in the waste basket, I removed them and everything else outside.  Then I swabbed out the container (it has as step level lid) with vinegar, as well as the top.  For the next few days we aren't using any of these receptacles, putting all waste into disposable bags and taking them out right after preparing meals and so on.

Tonight I'm going to set out shallow plates of vinegar before we go to bed, as well as soaked pads, at spots where they might be entering.  

There were so many other things I'd expected to occupy myself with these last two day, today, and the next few.  Ugh.

Yes, exactly the reason why I gave up, I had a dedicated ant treatment time inserted in both my morning and evening routine, and that was just ridiculous. Hope your ants go away!!!! 
 

12 hours ago, maarsen said:

20% white vinegar? Glacial acetic acid is that concentrated and what I use to make photo stop bath, with dilution. Regular vinegar here in Canada is 5%, 10% if you are doing pickling. 

We have 10% and 20% vinegar in grocery stores. I usually buy 20% because I only ever use it for lime scale removal. For the occasional cooking I do I use apple cider vinegar. 
 

@Cas Stark

Quote

Yes.  I waged a 'natural' war on ants using every remedy out there for a few years...vinegar, bleach, coffee grounds, hot pepper, tea tree oil, you name it, no success.  I came home one day and the kitchen looked like a horror film, crawling with ants on the walls the cabinet the floor.  I gave up on co existance and a non pesticide rememdy then and there.  Bombed the house and put out a product called 'terro' that the ants eat and go back to their HQ and it kills everyone. It's poison, so has to kept away from the cats, but it works very well.  Also have diomateous earth as a back up but use that sparingly since it kills other things besides ants.   I haven't killed a bee or a spinder in decades, so the ants can fuck off.

I like to coexist with spiders too though I have a feeling I have been bitten by them on occasion. Still, they are useful creatures that eat fruit flies and don’t bother anybody in a dark corner. No issue with them or bees either. I don’t even kill wasps. But I do religiously kill flies, ants and mosquitoes because they annoy the shit out of me. In return I empower any invading alien or returning dinosaur to squash me if I annoy them too. And I have a serious tick phobia and nobody will ever convince me that those vile fuckers have use and should be allowed to exist. 

Edited May 15, 2023 by RhaenysBee

[Larry of the Lawn]

12 hours ago, A Horse Named Stranger said:

Well, it's a Greek version of a potato salad.

Feel free to google it. Personally, I just hate mayonaise. So your mother's potato salad (and honestly speaking my mother's) was/is a big no. 

Vinegar or Lemon Juice are in either receipe there to provide some acid. Eggs in a potato salad just sounds  wrong. Anyway, you can vary those mayonaise massacres abit with ingredients. Some pieces of an apple, or pickles. Whatever floats your boat (if you want variations).

This is a travesty devoid of delicious processed fats and protein.  Greek? Nay, more like some ascetic exercise for penitent equines.

The potatoes are supposed to be a vehicle for the mayonnaise, egg, etc.  

[dog-days]

Who knew that potato salad would be so important to so many on the board? We need to create the Brotherhoods With and Without Mayo.*

*One of these groups will be an evil heretical death cult.  

[RhaenysBee]

Potato salad is basically potatoes and red onion floating in some vinegary juice, no?