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I’m a little sod at times.

This varmint just took a leak behind the Tardis...

692-classic_tv_series-10908.jpg


...bleedin' pissant.
 
We have lots of ants around here, and there is probably a ginormous nest right under the house. The first year, I noticed they would accumulate behind some closed shutters in a west-facing room we don't use much. Thousands of them would congregate there, I would sweep them away but thousands would return, and when it came to flying ant time the air was thick with them.They must love the combination of darkness and high temperature.

We then started getting some in the kitchen on the other side of the house, so we bought poison but never used it. I didn't like the idea of poisoning vast quantities of insects in their nest, not knowing what that would do, and my procrastinating instincts did the rest. I then found that just by leaving those shutters open all the time we could avoid the buildup. Problem solved, no more ants in the kitchen.
 
Back in the '60s, I was sleeping on the bathroom floor of a villa in Spain (a bit overcrowded; don't tell the landlord) and awoke to a stream of ants marching across my sleeping bag. It seems I was on their regular route!
BTW, not all ants are harmless, some of them furrin buggers bite!
 
This varmint just took a leak behind the Tardis...

692-classic_tv_series-10908.jpg


...bleedin' pissant.
I took one glance at that and thought Zarbi. How come I can remember that from 50 years ago, but not the important thing I really have to do that I thought of five minutes ago?
 
@Radfordman et al - Wait until you see the Gigas (Link 1) ants on N Borneo in person.

When they get annoyed, the nest ...sends out the Gigas soldiers link 2 - their bodies alone about the size of 2/3rds your little finger; I'm not kidding. It's an amazing thing to behold, when faced with a column of them in their hundreds or thousands claiming you were looking at their ... bird (must see if I can find any pictures from 20yrs ago.)

Utterly amazing creatures, at any scale, and mostly peaceable (even the Gigas) - unless provoked. Go to the ant thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise - good advice likely well over 3000 yrs old.
 


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