ANTS!!! vs Quiet during breeding!!

[Babs _Owner]

After a full week of rain, for the first time I have a colony of ants infiltrating my house!!

I also have what appears to be an inseminated female gouldian in the same room!! I cannot move this cage and Bill (he may be country but he is a neat-house-kinda-guy) is freaked out by bugs in the house that have been lured in by the seed droppings and they are into the food dishes by the birds.

I laid out Diatomaceous Earth into the carpet. Im trying to find the source of the colony

For several hours last night I was QUIETLY in stealth under each cage on my hands and knees hand sweeping all the seeds that are in the carpet. As most know, I refresh their feeding bowls each evening and this morning MORE ANTS in their food bowls!! With an injury I can barely move today.

These are little black night raiders, they dont come out during the day. Bill is angry and wants to put a loud vacuum to the floor for an hour or two hours......Im waving my hands around like a chicken "NO VACUUM!!"

Trying to find a quiet, safe way to handle the problem, had no sleep. I wish he knew it isnt as simple as running a vaccuum and erasing all the work, research and time Ive invested in the gouldian's breeding, but trying to find a compromise between the two of us.

And a bit of Diatomaceous Earth powder will not hurt him or the birds. Sigh, stressed out.

[cindy]

Chances are with all your rain the ants are coming into get away from the water. Check around your base boards for cracks and holes... they may be under your carpet also, along the edges of the cement under baseboards...any little crack or hole they will find their way in.

I use Terro, it works really fast...ants feed on it and take it back to the queen and colony.. queen dies the colony is gone.

Also go outside and see if you can see where they may be entering, you can but granular bait down around the outside of your home as well.

[Babs _Owner]

cindy

No chance of it poisoning the birds since they have targeted their food dishes?

Yep I agree about the rain, and I tried to tell him, its not the birds, its the rain. I'll have to get up in the middle of the morning and trace their "line formation" tonight, since they seem quiet during the day. I've scoured every crack in the living room and applied Diatomaceous Earth to each crack.

[slwatson]

Babs

Oh no! I hope you're able to stop them without disrupting the gouldians! Did you say you have an injury?

[Kelly]

Glad they aren't fireants

[lovezebs]

Babs

What did you do to yourself girlie? Were you mud wrestling with Bubba again? How many times do I have to tell you, Bubba Is bigger than you ! Do I need to ship out some pain killers and muscle relaxants ???

Regarding the ants, there is stuff (as Cindy mentioned), that you can put around the outside of the house. There are also ant traps (they go in , they don't come out) .

One question, why don't you want to vacume??? I vacume everyday, at least once, sometimes twice . I even use a small hand held, long snouted vacuum inside the flights (although not in the breeding cages). My birds are so used to the vacuum going around, that they just watch me, with like... hey you missed a spot right by the window, expression on their little faces. My Canaries actually love LOVE the vacuming, and sing their hearts out to it.

Oh, check out my post about Jaxom and Mirrim, I have a surprise for you

Feel better soon sweetie, and get rid of those pesky ants. They can get Into the nest and destroy your future eggs, and even kill baby birds.

[Babs _Owner]

slwatson lovezebs

Hahaha, I wasnt mud wrestling Bubba, he'd kick my tail!

Used to be a jogger for years and I snapped my ACL in my knee and lets just say the outcome of the surgery was less than I hoped.

Doing anything on down my knees is quite painful. Been like that for a few years now.

Thankfully no ants this morning!! Seems the Diatomaceous Earth I put down did the trick. woohoo!

Im looking for a quiet vacuum, mine freaks everyone out.

[lovezebs]

Babs

Ouch! I guess no more jogging for you.
I know what you mean about bad knees though. I have had the 'good luck' of having a horse run my one knee into a metal farm gate. Then there was our Doberman incident, where he ran his bony head into the same knee (running at full speed). Then my other knee got it twice in one summer at the dog park, (Pitbull bone head and Labradoodle bone head). I'm luck I still have any kness 'tall.

Arthritis has set in in both knees (along with the rest of the old bod, so no kneeling for me either, unless I have a big old cushion, and a big dog to lean on to get back up again).

Birds get used to vacuum cleaners. Mine have had no choice, lol. Run it a little closer each time, next room, the hallway, leave it run for a few minutes by the door to where they are. They figure it out very quickly, that it's not a bird eating monster.

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

What is up with all those dogs headbutting your poor knees? You need knee pads for the dog park!

I think Ill introduce the vacuum after the gouldian have fledglings (if they do).

[slwatson]

Babs

ACL injuries are awful! My sister had one from basketball, but I never did....I have the worst ankles in the world though. Used to twist them on flat surfaces! I have to ask because I've missed this somewhere...who is Bubba????

[Babs _Owner]

slwatson

Bubba is a comedic metaphor. hahahaha

[slwatson]

Babs

Got it

[lovezebs]

Babs

I always have doggy runs in (run ins.... runs ins?).
Two days ago on the dog walk, Maya the Pitbull, decided to attack my little muffin top Katy. Luckily, Maya was being walked by a young norse looking Bubba, who grabbed Maya right up in the air and off my poor little sausage.

Two days before that, my little sausage roll Katy, decided to attack a rather large Boarder Collie cross by the name of Allie. Luckily, no major injury to anyone.

My four legged Bubba (Danny) just stood there like a big old dummy, grinning, going : Look at that, them bitches be crazy!

Oy!!!

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Hahahah! Man, those puppehs are cuties!! Katy looks like "point that camera at me ONE more time, I will GROW longer legs and slap it right outta your face!! Grrrrrr.

Gotta love terriers! Spunky!

[lovezebs]

Babs

Terriers = terrorists , and she's only half (thank God). Half Jack Russell × Japanese Chin.