“Look,” my wife said. “An ant.”
She was pointing at the kitchen counter between the toaster and coffee maker. Yes, there was an ant. I widened my field of vision. “There’s another. And another.” I pointed them out.
We have ants. My wife and I, I mean. Not as pets; ants are invading.
We noticed them yesterday evening. Black, they’re about a quarter inch long. We don’t kill ants. Our philosophy about insects, spiders, and other critters is live and let live, but it must be our rules.
Ants in the house at this time of year is a surprise. In the past, they’ve invaded during the hot summers, when the ground was parched, and the ants sought water and relief from the blazing heat. Having them as guests in March is a real surprise. That makes us wonder, why now? What are they escaping outside? What do the ants know is happening that we don’t know.
Our process for dealing with things like this is to find their path and cut it off by cleaning without killing. That generally works. But having the visiting ants changes our behavior. I walk around, staring at surfaces, looking for more ants. So far, they seem to be limited to the southern wall, mostly around the fireplace and the dining room bay window. Not many; the most I’ve counted at one time is thirteen.
No trail is visible yet. We can’t figure out how they’re getting in, or where. But we’re on the case. Cuz, you know, we have ants.
And their presence causes a disturbance in the house.
Michael Seidel, writer 
You are much more “ant-itarian” than I would be.
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LOL. Thanks for the chuckle. Cheers
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I LOVE that you try to avoid killing the critters that get into the house! We are the same … if a spider or a cricket get into the house, if I can get to them before the floofs do, I lure them onto a piece of paper and then quickly rush to the door and let them off in the yard. Friends make fun of me, but I believe everything has a right to life. Ants will be harder, for there are so darned many of them, but I wish you luck! Let us know how it turns out! Hugs ‘n cheers
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We do the same with critters althought my MO involves tupperware and a piece of paper. There’s usually a conversation with them, too, and an apology on my end, and a reassurance that it’ll be better for them. I hope that’s true for them.
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Ha ha … I do the same!!! I apologize and tell them to keep safe and enjoy the rest of their life! Even when I find a dead cricket (the floofs don’t give crickets much of a chance unless I see ’em first) and have to flush it down, I say a few words as he swirls to his grave!
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