Ants are the bain of the Earth. I despise them.
How do they contribute to our ecosystem?
Isn’t something supposed to be eating them? Whichever Southern Missouri animal was appointed to keep the ant population in check is sleeping on the job.
Maybe the ant’s sole purpose is to aerate the ground. Aerating the soil allows oxygen and water to reach the roots.
I believe ants have forgotten their purpose, and due to that lapse in their thinking, they are scouring my kitchen floor near the south wall. That has to be the reason they are inside. They don’t know why they exist anymore.
Their favorite meals include insect eggs, aphids, tree sap, and fruit tree sap.
We don’t have any of those things in our house. So what could they be after? Unfortunately, ants are omnivorous. They eat everything.
Two nights ago, Charity swept and mopped the kitchen floor. This action was not uncommon because she does that a couple of times a week. Sometimes she recruits me.
But up until then, we didn’t have ants inside our domain. Then Sons #1 and #2 ate dry cereal for breakfast the next morning. They dropped a couple of crumbs on the floor, and before breakfast was over, we had a couple of visitors.
We don’t let the boys eat in the living room. We’re teaching them to put the food in their mouths, not the table, the floor, or between the couch cushions.
So far, we’ve been successful. No messes, no ants. And then two crumbs fell upon a freshly scrubbed floor. And now we have a free-for-all.
I’m thankful there are no laws against eliminating an ant’s existence. Seeing an ant inside the house will cause me to blindly spray repellent at the base of every wall. Nothing can irritate me more than an ant inside a home.
One of the most effective deterrents is peppermint oil. It’ll stop an ant in its tracks and delay any other migrant ants for hours on end.
As bad as I dislike them, something I read recently caused me to stop and consider the ant. The quote said, “Small people doing small things changes the world.”
The author was speaking of those who have no platform, agenda, influence, or power. But by their consistent effort to do what they can, they make the world go ‘round.
I don’t know what the purpose of an ant is in the big scheme of things, but I’m convinced we’d notice if they were no longer here.
But I wish they’d stay out of my house.
to the annoyingly advantageous ant,
– Caleb
caneymountainblog.com 