Monday Memories: Carpenter Ants
It was our first spring in our new home. We just couldn't believe our good fortune. A gorgeous baby girl, a wonderful house in a beautiful neighborhood with old tall trees and a fresh start for my husband's career in a different city. Life was good, I thought, as I heard a light rain start. But wait. It was only raining in one room. In fact, I looked outside and it wasn't raining at all. I walked into the den and held my ear against the paneling. Sounded just like rain falling lightly--inside the walls.
The image you see on your screen is about the size of this ant and they can be more destructive than termites. The sound I heard was actually sawdust falling behind the paneling. Eventually we took the roof off the den, and found underneath a thick mat of ants, thousands, maybe millions. In those days, you could still use strong chemicals to kill ants (EPA doesn't allow it now). They really got blasted--the guys pulled the roof back and the exterminators went to work.
The next time you hear unexplained rain, put your ear on the wall.
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6 comments:
Wow, I had no idea how destructive they could be. I'm glad you were able to get rid of them. I did my on the 911 theme but I did a Sunday Flashback instead. You will probably get a chuckle out of it.
Ooo, I had carpender ants in my BEDROOM wall. I got to sleep with the sound of them crawling about in the ceiling, and nawing the wall right by my ear. *shudders*
My MM is up, too.
ohhhhhhh scarey stuff......I had carpenter bees in the garage once, they actually made a munching sound as they ate my garage. We eventually moved......couldn't get rid of them, they would just fly away and come back.
I can't imagine, didn't realize they were so bad, I hate bugs I would have gotten out of there fast!
I didn't know about this. I'll try listening to the walls whenever there is unexplained rain as you call it.
Thanks for dropping by.
Been there and done that. Ick. Found a few crawling around the top of my hot tub the other day. Killed those and did a serious inspection. I think (hope) they were just exploring.
Off topic: I'm leaving for Finland next week. How did you keep up your blog when you were there? Internet cafes?, WiFi? what?
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