17 March 2010

Ants Are Everywhere

I haven't been this annoyed since the initial culture shock after arriving here. Is the opposite happening now, where as much as I love this place, I'm also ready to be somewhere else for a while?

Ants. It seems like they are never completely out of season, but there are definitely times when there are more of them. They swarm on anything that's left on the counter for just a few minutes. They're all over the sink if you don't wash the dishes right away. (I can tell if the housekeeper isn't washing dishes well enough, because they swarm the "clean" dishes in the drying rack, too.) I'm finding them in the microwave and huddling outside the refrigerator. They're on furniture in the living room. I often find them crawling across the screen on my laptop and Kindle. They are too numerous to bother with traps, motels, bug bombs, vinegar washes. There are always more ants that will replace the ones you get rid of.

I've given up. I'm living with the ants for three more months. I know that there will be ants in Rhode Island this summer, too, but for some reason that doesn't bother me right now. I'm so happy that the mosquitos won't be carrying malaria that I'm actually welcoming the tame little Rhode Island bugs I'll find.

I don't want this to become a complaint blog. I'm trying to enjoy my last couple of months here, because I do love it here and I am going to miss it. As a Burundian co-worker said to me today, we're leaving with a huge souvenir! It will be impossible to forget our time here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Steph.

I can't imagine having so many ants... and having no way to get rid of them.

And yes, I know you'll be so very happy to be done with the malaria risk.

Nobody will think your blog is a complaint blog!! There's a huge difference between blogging about realistic life at a post and being a complaint blog, really there is.

Didn't know you were soon to be off to Rhode Island for the summer! Oh, it should be so beautiful there!

And I just had to chuckle at the idea of your leaving with a "souvenir." That's so sweet!

Jen said...

Ugh, we had that issue in Caracas. All it took was a small bag of leftover (hidden) Halloween candy. They could smell it miles away. At least the cat ate the roaches...

Just wondering if you have tried baking soda? I realize I have no idea the layout of your kitchen, but perhaps could run along the back of the counter? We had a brief (but somewhat brutal) ant problem near our wet bar sink. I lined the wet bar with baking soda, and they were gone.

It might not solve it, but might lessen the issue. You have my sympathies!

Nick said...

You've got that big blue ant along the highway from the airport in Providence, right? I saw it right after Christmas...had a red Rudolph nose glowing. Crazy Rhode Islanders.

Stephanie said...

Nick, I think it's technically a termite. It's known as the Big Blue Bug. I can't wait to see it when I land!

Stephanie said...

Jen, the cat definitely helps with the larger pests. Unfortunately she also attacks geckos, which I like having around because they eat the mosquitos. I hadn't thought of baking soda. I'll give it a try this weekend.