Yawn,
woken up again at Love it when the clocks change. Because I have become a slob at night with being on SH go to do washing up to find whole kitchen covered in ants. "O...Kay" I think "I can handle this" as I get through a whole roll of toilet paper(nearest thing to hand) to clean away ants after boiling them.
"Hum hum oh what a lovely morning" as I go to put washing in tumble dryer. Stop myself stepping on dead mouse at doorstep "F**K" cats". Mumbling now to myself as I use more toilet roll (still at hand) to put mouse in bin. I walk out to the garage to put washing in tumble dryer to find the dead carcases of 2 rabbits which I then have to dispose of!!!!
Oh Spring in here and the daily presents from the cats are just beginning to arrive.
BLISS lol
Yes we get them as well, If there is a lot they get sucked up in the vacum cleane.
If there is a few I squash them but let one escape to return to his troops and warn them about the giant index finger :taz:
Ooooohhhhhh spring is here,its still raining loads though.
I think of spring and im getting cravings for roast Lamb and mint hungry.
We get infested with the little blighters every year. I tend to 'put up with them', in accordance with the old Artificer's policy of 'live and let live'. They arrive now, no matter how we try to keep them out, and disappear just as quicly in mid-summer. I've watched, in fascination, the way their little scouts crawl around and then find a way in. They really are amazing little creatures .
I tend not to 'zap' any creatures, big or small, they all have a life to live and it's amazing how by leaving them alone, Nature balances the job up, and everything is kept under reasonable control. The only time I interfere is when ants invade the greenhouses-they'll make a mess of pot ted stuff in no time, and then hot water is all I use. I also have to step in when rats get too established-even then I tend to use traps (immediate death) and not poison. Sometimes it's hard to keep with an 'organic' philosophy, especially when the aphids are decimating your crops. But, the strongest pesticide I use is soft-soap, and it is marvellous to see the hoverflies, lacewings,ladybirds, dragonflies, birds, ground beetles and bats doing my pest control for me, while the 'chemical lovers' in the village admire their striped (barren) lawns and lifeless, soulless, nature free borders.
I know which I feel comfortable with.....
It is absolutly gorgeous here this morning lovely sunny morning (no ants)...cars covered in frost and not a cloud in the sky....and so peaceful..
Cambridge is the enemy in this house (in football terms) :twisted:
i am at the north end of the county...
but shhhh dont tell anybody i do like Cambridge as a place
im never going to live that one down,
Well said Harry: you beat me to it. That's exactly how you find the nests. Im amazed at how often they are outside the premises, the convoys of organised little workers being fascinating. My big weakness is honey-I eat gallons of the stuff -only local mind, (just call me Winnie) and I have to put each jar inside a big kiliner jar, else it's smothered by morning. (They don't alter the flavour much, just add a bit of crunchy protein!).
I tend to leave wasps alone, but we had to act a couple of times when some nasty beggars arrived. I found where they were landing to 'scrape' at wood-on an old shed in this case-to get materials for their nest. It was easy, as Harry said, to then follow them , a few steps at a time, and find nest.
And an appeal! Please don't kill everything because it's a creepy-crawly. As I've said before, nature balances itself out. I recentlysaw the caterpillar of an Elephant hawkmoth get bludgeoned to death by a worried looks quite scary, can 'inflate itself, and has scary 'false eyes'. It's harmless ,and fascinating. Likewise, I've seen Ladybird larvae being sprayed by terrified gardeners-they are just about the most helpful thing to have in a garden. So, if in doubt, don't spray-look it up and see what it is, it may be helpful. Srays are indiscriminate and kill good and bad. Problems in gardens occur when the 'balance' tips the wrong way. PM me if you have queries.
sermon over!