It started as most Saturdays do, with a trip to the feria, for our week's supply of fruits and veggies. On the way back to the bus, we also picked up this beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Fresh flowers are abundant and very affordable here ($4 for the two bundles that made up this arrangement), so it's a treat we give ourselves whenever we still have one free hand when our shopping is finished. The flower arranging today is a bit sub-par, though, thanks to a close call with a small army of Army Ants.
I was cutting stems and keeping an eye on my homemade yogurt, trying to get the temperature stabilized, when Vic announced their arrival, putting anything not ant-related on hold.
From everything I've read, if army ants target your house, it's best to just grab the pets, a cool drink, and some lawn chairs, and make yourself comfy under a shade tree while you watch the show - which consists of them scouring every square inch of the house, flushing out (and eating)every single ant, cricket, cockroach, spider, scorpion or other creepy crawly in their path.
Not a bad deal if you aren't totally grossed out at the thought of tens of thousands of ants invading your homestead. And even though we've read that, when finished, they leave en mass as quickly as they arrived, we're not ready to board that boat - at least not yet.
The collective term of army ants actually refers to more than 200 species of ants, all of which are known for their aggressive and cooperative foraging behavior. At a mere two-inch wide column, ours was a small army compared to some that I've read about.
I can only imagine how it would feel to see a wall of ants 10 to 50 feet wide bearing down on your home. But our plans for the day did not include feeding a small platoon - even if it meant getting rid of our scorpions. It was time to bring out the weapons of mass destruction. In the time it took Vic to grab a bottle of super-strength insecticide, the ants had the house almost surrounded. One squadron marched across the front of the carport and bodega and another approached from the rear. A third was was crossing the carport and starting up the steps to the house level. He stopped them at the first landing.
The ants he hit directly died on the spot. The others got the message and changed their route. Once Vic had broken their momentum, he followed up by spraying a border all the way around the house, which we hope will hold the fort against a second assault.
Just to be safe, while Vic went on the offensive outside, I readied the inside of the house for evacuation by stowing the rest of the feria produce in the fridge, rounding up the bits and pieces of dog's rawhide chewies, and filling our water bottles so that we would have something to sip on during our exile. Luckily, we didn't need any of it - this time.
Yes, we can be certain that they will return. Perhaps in a few months or a year, perhaps sooner. When they come, it could be the same small-platoon species or it could be a massive invasion. And while this was certainly an exciting and potentially inconvenient event, it's not something to be particularly worried about because these guys are not after us. If our defensive measures fail us next time, at least our home will be bug-free for a few hours.
For now, it's been a good three hours and the ants are still hard at work in the yard, thankfully at a respectful distance. My yogurt is happily culturing away at 110-115 degrees. When I stop heaving sighs of relief, I just might take another stab at arranging my lovely flowers.
Pura Vida
