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<TITLE>Re: [Groop] Regarding Ants - A different approach</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:12.0px'>A couple of replies:<BR>
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I think just about <I>anything </I>is appropriate for this forum (except for some clown declaring himself mayor of the groop.)<BR>
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Did you really stay up until 3AM just to find a time that the line was less populated?!?<BR>
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Just who is <I>that </I>Stephanie Meyer? <BR>
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Chris (AKA Glorko...yes, <I>that </I>Glorko!)<BR>
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on 6/25/08 11:01 AM, Stephanie Mortimer at rufferta@cox.net wrote:<BR>
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<FONT COLOR="#000098">> <BR>
> I realize this is totally inappropriate for this forum, but I would like <BR>
> to advocate a different approach to the ant problem.<BR>
> <BR>
> At an organic gardening event a few years ago Andrew Lopez gave me a <BR>
> copy of his book NATURAL PEST CONTROL. The first chapter "Dances With <BR>
> Ants" has a lot of suggestions on dealing with ants in the house and <BR>
> garden.<BR>
> <BR>
> In the house, the first thing you have to ask yourself is "Why are they <BR>
> here?" If it is because they found food then you need to clean up <BR>
> everything and seal up that big bag of sugar* or whatever. Ants leave <BR>
> special scent paths, so try to scrub down their path**. I also will try <BR>
> to confuse them by spraying different aromatherapy products, but it can <BR>
> take a while until all of the ants have forgotten where they found the <BR>
> goodies.<BR>
> <BR>
> In the garden, you should remember that ants can help pollinate some <BR>
> plants, but they also can farm aphids, which are harmful. Here, you need <BR>
> to make sure your plants and your soil are healthy and can fight back.<BR>
> <BR>
> Andy Lopez' book (and his website) have a lot more information. If the <BR>
> first methods he suggests don't work, then he offers further possible <BR>
> solutions. But the bottom line is (I quote) "....you will not be able to <BR>
> eliminate ants entirely from your environment, and ....you would be wise <BR>
> not to do battle with them, but to communicate with them and to reach a <BR>
> mutual understanding."<BR>
> <BR>
> Stephanie (not that Stephanie Meyer) Meyer<BR>
> <BR>
> *The ants were all marching back and forth to the big bag of sugar in <BR>
> the cabinet. One of the more literate ants kept messing up the line by <BR>
> running when he came to one stretch. Another ant, annoyed, asked "Why <BR>
> are you in such a hurry?" The literate ant said "Didn't you see the sign <BR>
> 'Tear along dotted line?'"<BR>
> <BR>
> **I don't like to kill things (I know, what am I doing in a Groo <BR>
> forum?). I wanted to scrub down the ant path when they weren't there, <BR>
> but they seemed to be 24-hour. As far as I can tell, though, they slow <BR>
> down around 3am.<BR>
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