The ant problem
A few days ago I noticed a line of ants wending their way across my bedroom. I respect ants, industrious little creatures who carry loads many times their weight, plus I’d seen their Walt Disney cartoons so I left them alone. The following day there were more of them, and I was worried that they’d bite my cats so I swept the ants away and searched the room for whatever it was that was attracting them. There were no dead insects or bits of food; as far as I could tell the ants were migrating from the corner of one (closed) window to a crack in the opposite wall.
Photo: Can’t bite these.
When I woke up yesterday the ant parade had turned into an infestation. As I pondered a solution to this problem that would not involve insecticide (the smell makes me ill, and they are not pet-safe), some of the critters crawled onto my leg and bit me, thus sealing their doom. The safest solution that occurred to me: Citronella, a natural oil that is used in perfumes and insect repellent.
Carlo was going to Rustan’s to look for a very tall champagne flute; I figured that their houseware section was a good place to look. I’ve usually gotten polite and efficient service from the Rustan’s staff, although a lot of the salesladies who worked there when I was a kid have probably retired. At the room sprays and scented candles section I asked the salesladies if they had Citronella spray or any other organic insect repellant. Even before I’d finished my question they replied, “Ano yon?” “Wala” and “Baka sa Essenses.” Hmm, not the service I’ve come to expect from that fine establishment. I repeated my question and one of the ladies began a desultory inspection of their bottled oils to see if they had Citronella; they could not recommend an alternative.
At Essenses they had a citronella bug spray for babies, but it cost P995 for a 250ml bottle. Carlo suggested L’Occitane, but they didn’t have Citronella, and even if they did I’m not spraying ants with L’Occitane product. “Then we should go to SM,” Carlo said, “Because ‘They’ve got it all.'” I rolled my eyeballs and off we went. Right at the door of the housewares section I asked a salesman if they had Citronella and he quickly produced a room-and-linen spray (P279.50) and a bottle of essential oil (P349.50). Amaaazing. Then Carlo found an extremely tall champagne flute for P490, a decimal place less than the fancy one he’d considered buying.
When I got home I squirted Citronella linen spray on the line of ants and they promptly stopped moving. It was an ant massacre. Wish our species could co-exist in peace, but they opened hostilities. I swept away the tiny corpses and sprayed Citronella on their hideouts. Tonight we’ll see if it worked.
36 hours later. Looks like it worked: the ant parade has not returned. My cats usually hate citrusy scents, but they don’t mind the citronella.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
January 22nd, 2009 at 01:53
u monster! :-p
January 22nd, 2009 at 03:07
you just gave me a wonderful idea. ants in our apartment have launched several failure attempts to evict me from the house they were claiming theirs since the time of their ancestors.
my answer: baygon ant chalk: nyahahaaha!! death shall be yours!!! Die ants!! Die!!
then little did i know they were building a secret underground community in my closet, right under my pile of clothes! when i checked, there were lumps of dusts or tiny particles of soil. dorrrgggghh!!!
i never thought of a citronella linen spray.
thanks a lot! i feel like shooing away a generation of ants. today. soon as i arrive home…
January 22nd, 2009 at 09:04
boric acid. it comes in powder form.
January 22nd, 2009 at 17:56
This blog entry is very timely. Ants have just started creeping into our apartment, and I foresee massive attacks on our food and clothes.
SM has got it all indeed.
January 22nd, 2009 at 18:26
i sprinkled baby powder outside the backdoor where the ants entered the house a couple of weeks ago when the ants started invading my house. they haven’t come back since. i read somewhere they dont like talcum too. back in my college dorm we used those cheap chinese chalks and just trace around the ant lines. they’ll be gone in minutes.
they also hate peppermints.
January 22nd, 2009 at 18:59
hmm hello everyone..well as for me..i just used an insect chalk by raid..its effective though
January 22nd, 2009 at 19:05
anung kulay ba?
kapag itim na mabibilis, hayaan mo na, suwerte yun kc baka uulan or mainit na, summer na
kapag medyo maliliit, apanas, mabaho, may matamis kang pagkain dyan
kapat pula at nangangagat, hmmm, time na maglinis siguro, may crack siguro ung mga dingding, may nakita sila
sabe ng lola ko yan
dine sa Batangas
January 23rd, 2009 at 02:59
Heeeey. I didn’t know there was an alternative to bug spray. Thanks! Let us know if it worked.
January 23rd, 2009 at 03:30
really? citronella did the trick? and it’s safe for pets?
im gonna try that , thanks Jessica!
January 23rd, 2009 at 23:09
Ants in my house have colonized three light switches and now I have to find a good electrician to replace these, as these have become inoperational. I do not think citronella will work for the ants because I have been spraying Baygon repeatedly and still they managed to infiltrate the switches and electrical outlets. I don’t know what they find so attractive in electrical installations. Sometimes I get worried that they might carry me off to their colony while I sleep. Is it right to say,”my house is very anty”? or in Tagalog,”ma-langgam sa bahay ko”?