At Last Flying Ant Day

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago Flying Ant Day is one of my favourite days...and today is that day.

This afternoon I walked into the conservatory to be greeted with a sight not unlike scenes from Independence Day. There was quite literally an invasion taking place as a considerable number of flying ants had taken their stand, claiming my conservatory as their own.

Now, this did not concern me greatly as unlike the aliens in Independence Day they did not have a mother ship covered in shields impervious to all weapons known to mankind; moreover it is a foe that I have faced many a time and have I always been victorious.

To tell the truth though I was a little vexed. Due to the local farmers choosing this day (flying ant day) to apply muck to their fields we had closed the windows in the conservatory. This was to prevent the sickly sweet smell of silage from permeating the house. This meant that those pesky ants could not have migrated from the garden. My conclusion; their nest was literally in the building. After moving furniture and searching around on my hands and knees I discovered the entrance to their lair. What is more the enemy was red. Red ants are well known to be more aggressive and dangerous than their more mild mannered black cousins.

I warned them that if they continued to invade my property then my response would be total annihilation. They chose not to heed my warnings and at exactly 4.32 GMT I launched an attack with a spray bottle of ant insecticide. The effects were immediate with the first wave of 6 legged flying red ants dying at the entrance of their nest. Further sprays directed into the nest hole have resulted in no new attacks. I can only conclude that the invasion is over.

 

I looked around the conservatory to check for any survivors and was pleased to see that a spider had joined my cause and had captured a number of stragglers as they attempted a retreat. Thank goodness I hadn't removed the spider webs with my feather duster earlier in the week.

 

Outside the house the invasion was still going on. The air was thick with the ants which were trying to fly, they are rubbish at flying truth be told. Most just cling on to blades of grass and jump. I decided to leave them to it. I am sure that in the wild there are plenty of other animals which find the ants a nutritious source of food.

Just keep out of my conservatory...

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