[Groop]Ants & Magnets

Gary Grossmann grossfam@olywa.net
Fri, 1 Jun 2001 22:00:32 -0700


Hi Folks!

Well, most of the ants are gone and so are most of the magnets.  The ants
were sealed in envelopes and sent to the four corners of the world today
and...No wait.  That's not right.  The MAGNETS were sent to the four corners
of the world.  Everyone should be receiving them within a week except for a
few folks whom I e-mailed.  Also a few T-shirts.

Thank you all for your ant removal suggestions and warnings.  For years I
have used Diazanon once a year around the perimeter of the house and that
did it but now that's off the market because it's..uh..poisonous!?! (duh!)
So with these ants, whom I dubbed Pipal Khan's Hoards, I dug and dug and
chopped and dug (and then I read something about arousing dormant queens)
and then I ran the hose for half the night and tried to flood them out with
minimal success.

In the middle of all this a few mole hills appeared for the first time in
months.  I am convinced they showed up just to watch in amusement as I
cleared underbrush and dug up ant mounds & tunnels with duct tape around my
ankles so the ants couldn't get up my legs!

Deciding conventional poisons were no fun, I used a combination of bleach
and very cheap laundry soap with a little water.  This turned out to work
really well, plus the dirt has a clean and fresh smell you just can't get
with other detergents!!  The survivors went on the march to parts unknown,
(thus avoiding the truly Groo-ish result of driving them into my house).
And after wiping out a few remaining pockets I appear to be ant free.

By the way, please let me know if the magnets DON"T show up within a week or
if I screwed up your order.  And if you hear the pitter patter of tiny feet
from within the envelope, stomp on it a lot before opening.

take care all - Gary G.