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2063

Abstract

they had any sense about it, they wouldn’t cross the line in the first place.</p></blockquote><p id="12b6">Not sure if they really are smart enough not to cross the white line, maybe they do just turn around and go back to where they came from. I would be happy with that.</p><p id="36eb">Now I’m lying in bed this morning remembering when I sorted through my “garden” shelf yesterday I found my bag of diatomaceous earth, and it should work on letting my new population of ants know I’m not interested in keep them around. I don’t think it expires because it’s dried fossils.</p><p id="5eec">So I’m thinking if the red ants are still out there today, I’ll ask my son to take the bag and sprinkle its contents around my foundation. Be gone, red ants!</p><h2 id="693f">Funny coincidence</h2><p id="a0a5">In the meantime, while I am waiting for him, I proceeded to turn on my computer to check emails and such, and there it was, “<b><i>Chronos, the God of Time, Has Your August Writing Prompts</i>,”</b> and what do I see —</p><p id="715b" type="7">August 31: We Love Memoirs Day, National Diatomaceous Earth Day</p><p id="c09b">Too much of a coincidence, more like fate or something, so I have to write about it, as that’s what I do. I write. I write about everything around me, and this is worth a short story.</p><p id="e572">As far as the red ants go, I know I’m on the right track by spreading this white powdery-looking stuff around. I’m not one to kill anything, even insects, but one of them bit my son yesterday, too, while he was putting air in his tire.</p><blockquote id="886d"><p>Wherever they came from, I must send a warning to retreat!</p></blockquote><p id="3eb2">I don’t have sympathy for things that crawl up my hands or legs to deliberately bite me. On the other hand I know fire ants are amazing little creatures who make a raft out of their bodies when their home becomes flooded so they can safely carry their Queen and belongings to dry ground , who does that?</p><p id="a2a0">But I digress. They’re out there, they’re around my foundation,

Options

my grandchildren come over to play, they’ve already shown their aggression, and they gotta go! Maybe to my neighbor’s, or underground, or maybe they’ll build a new raft, there’s more rain coming, but I don’t want them here.</p><p id="4d38">I’m spreading the stuff around and I hope they take the hint.</p><p id="2c8b"><b><i>For me — Today is Diatomaceous Earth Day!</i></b></p><figure id="b4e3"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*6CSxqWzgr8pC_ttF3ZuJiA.png"><figcaption>Canva image adapted by Amy Sea</figcaption></figure><p id="466b"><b><i>Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed my story, here are a couple more you may like. <a href="https://medium.com/@veralake7799/subscribe">To be added to my mailing list, click here</a>. Feel free to reply to any of my stories. Happy reading!</i></b></p><div id="b546" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/mouse-survives-ambush-then-sticks-it-to-the-boss-33f5fd2d4998"> <div> <div> <h2>A Clever Mouse Lives to Scare Another Day</h2> <div><h3>But not before wreaking havoc with the boss</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*HQXsqsCoLQymasFUITO2KQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="c071" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/from-bad-hair-day-to-bad-hair-cut-e33a71a70d9d"> <div> <div> <h2>From Bad Hair Day to Really Bad Hair Cut</h2> <div><h3>What made me think I could cut my own hair?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*Ixrv5R_QMFYpyjsmqWin4A.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Crawling Insects

Natural Solution for Keeping Crawling Insects from Getting Inside the House

It’s called diatomaceous earth and it actually works

I was lying in bed this morning a little disturbed by the news my older son gave me yesterday that my foundation is teeming with red ants. Having been bitten on my hand the other day while checking my zucchini I was aware of them. It was sitting right there waiting for me!

Last night I sent him out to spray with some insect killer. They went running in every direction but where did they go? They’ll be back when I’m not looking! What else could I do?

Do my neighbors have this problem too? Are they chasing the ants to my house and we’re sending them back and forth?

A hopeful solution

Then I had an epiphany when I woke up this morning. Just yesterday I had been cleaning out the shelves in my garage. Well, more or less. It was more like taking everything off the shelves, deciding what to keep or throw out, taking mental inventory, then putting most of it back neatly, when I came upon a bag of unopened diatomaceous earth which I never got to use.

I had bought it years ago due to an insect problem at my old place, mostly ants. Over there I sprayed, too, but to no avail and after researching I found out about diatomaceous earth. Even though it looks like baking soda, it’s made up of fossils, ground down so tiny we can’t see them with our naked eye. When insects cross over it, and apparently they do, it cuts their stomachs and they eventually die.

Horrible way to die, but if they had any sense about it, they wouldn’t cross the line in the first place.

Not sure if they really are smart enough not to cross the white line, maybe they do just turn around and go back to where they came from. I would be happy with that.

Now I’m lying in bed this morning remembering when I sorted through my “garden” shelf yesterday I found my bag of diatomaceous earth, and it should work on letting my new population of ants know I’m not interested in keep them around. I don’t think it expires because it’s dried fossils.

So I’m thinking if the red ants are still out there today, I’ll ask my son to take the bag and sprinkle its contents around my foundation. Be gone, red ants!

Funny coincidence

In the meantime, while I am waiting for him, I proceeded to turn on my computer to check emails and such, and there it was, “Chronos, the God of Time, Has Your August Writing Prompts,” and what do I see —

August 31: We Love Memoirs Day, National Diatomaceous Earth Day

Too much of a coincidence, more like fate or something, so I have to write about it, as that’s what I do. I write. I write about everything around me, and this is worth a short story.

As far as the red ants go, I know I’m on the right track by spreading this white powdery-looking stuff around. I’m not one to kill anything, even insects, but one of them bit my son yesterday, too, while he was putting air in his tire.

Wherever they came from, I must send a warning to retreat!

I don’t have sympathy for things that crawl up my hands or legs to deliberately bite me. On the other hand I know fire ants are amazing little creatures who make a raft out of their bodies when their home becomes flooded so they can safely carry their Queen and belongings to dry ground , who does that?

But I digress. They’re out there, they’re around my foundation, my grandchildren come over to play, they’ve already shown their aggression, and they gotta go! Maybe to my neighbor’s, or underground, or maybe they’ll build a new raft, there’s more rain coming, but I don’t want them here.

I’m spreading the stuff around and I hope they take the hint.

For me — Today is Diatomaceous Earth Day!

Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed my story, here are a couple more you may like. To be added to my mailing list, click here. Feel free to reply to any of my stories. Happy reading!