So it begins

The battle of the Pelennor Fields is upon us...

When the wars began 4 years ago, I thought it would be brief time of unhappiness in an otherwise ant free existence...

Our vengeance was swift and merciless; we walked away unharmed and seemingly victorious.
With the bravado of warriors who have never been in battle we touted our accomplishments and laughed at our enemies’ quick surrender.

What fools we were!!!

Every year they grow in number. They have become coordinated and meticulous. Feinting invasions in one room they wait for our distraction only to emerge en mass in another. Psychological warfare comes easily to these grisly foes. In their unceasing efforts to demoralize the troops on the ground (Andrew and me) they go where no ant dared go before. Without hesitation they crawl across the Isla’s play room, stream out of the bathroom faucet and infiltrate our dishwasher, the iron and the outside of the car. No crack or crevice is safe. Even the tiniest drop of water calls them forth with its siren song.

In 2008 the conflict escalated and this new and furious pace of battle has continued through 2009. In desperation we enlisted the help of a militia (pest control) in October. After only a few days of retreat their armies advanced more powerful and gruesome than ever before. Despite sustaining heavy losses the enemy seemed unscathed. Are their reserves unlimited!?!

Following the unsuccessful militia attempt I discovered a secret weapon – EcoSmart. This non-toxic ant spray uses cinnamon oil and wintergreen oil to stop the invaders in their tracks. While not foolproof, it is powerful and the most effective thing we’ve tried so far, mostly because we can spray it anywhere without worrying about poisoning our child. It doesn’t kill the colony, but I’ve given up on that (how many raid sticks can an ant colony eat without dying!?!). With regular spritzes, it gives us the upper hand. It is not for the faint of heart – the smell is overwhelming – a little like getting a pine tree and a cinnamon stick shoved up each nostril (still not as gross as raid), but it is worth it. For the past two weeks the ants have been in retreat…or so I thought…Actually they have been strategizing on how to take over new territory.

Today I found an ant in Isla's room... This is a new battle ground and the ants CANNOT prevail. I am holding them off with constant patrols and individual strikes for now, but the day we leave for our vacation I am going in and unleashing the awesome power of EcoSmart.

In the immortal words of the Tropic Thunder Fake Preview – “Here we go again, again.”