Pests

How do you feel about pest control?

I am not hugely concerned with or scared of bugs but I also don't like to see ants crawling around on my counter tops or in my shower. I think it's gross.

Since we moved into our new house we've had those tiny ants. I know from our time living in Florida that they are called sugar ants. They like water and come into the house to seek it out. 

Speaking of Florida, we lived there for most of the 90's. At one point we sort of had regular pest control service. I say sort of because the guy would come once a month on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Mr. Deep and I were about 25 years old at the time and we were never awake on Saturday mornings. We were sleeping so soundly (I miss sleeping soundly like that) that we rarely heard the guy knock. So we had pest control but rarely were any chemicals sprayed in our house because the poor guy could never get in.

Now that I am older, a little smarter and waking up much earlier, I don't really like to have chemicals used in my home or on my lawn. When we lived in the Hudson Valley in New York we had the worst lawn on the street. It was full of weeds because we would not treat it with any chemicals. We kept it mowed but it was weeds that were mowed not grass. Actually there was one lawn worse than ours, we referred to the family (secretly) as the "Slobsons" because they rarely mowed their lawn at all. 

So today Combat Pest Control arrived and even though I wasn't thrilled with the chemical dousing, I was excited that the ants would soon be gone. I am sure at least one of you is thinking of some natural concoction that I could have whipped up in my kitchen to solve the ant problem. You are like, "oh you should have just mixed up a paste of lemon juice, walnut oil and baking soda. Ants hate that stuff." 

I got nervous when the technician put on a gas mask before treating our home. He didn't offer me a gas mask so I just sat there trying not to breathe while he did his work. Then, before he left he said he needed some soap so he could wash his hands! Now I'm sitting here with Mr. Deep in our coated in chemicals home just hoping we will live to see another day. Oh and in case you're wondering, I haven't seen one ant since the guy left. 

And while we are talking about pests, I am pretty sure that today I saw one of the guards in our neighborhood disposing of a snake. I was driving and I saw him bend down to pick something up off the street. Then I saw him carrying something long, skinny, and yellow with black head. He was holding it pinched between his two fingers and away from his body. I was too scared to ask him what it was. I think it was probably dead. So no ants in the house but likely deadly snakes out in the street!