I continue to have ants trickling into my kitchen. It’s not enough ants that I need to put poison out. Instead, I just crush them whenever I see them. I’ve noticed it with other ants, but with this variety, it’s particularly strong – there is a powerful chemical smell that emanates from the crushed ants. It’s sort of ammonia-like. It reminds me of an all-purpose kitchen cleaner. Or maybe it smells like something flammable. Maybe I should try to light the ants.
At first, I only noticed the chemical smell accidentally, but now I almost compulsively have to smell it whenever I crush an ant.
But I still would be happy if the ants just stopped coming into my kitchen.
Such a big smell from a small ant.
Huh. Maybe you could make a cleaner out of them. Y’know – squeeze a bunch of them and collect the juice? You could sell it in the dollar store by Fabuloso! cleaner. Call it Antuloso!
I think it’s the smell of fear & death as you crush them with your bear hands.
…bare; although I’m sure to an ant, your hands are bear like.
It will be hard to sell you house (if you ever want to) with burn marks all over the kitchen counter!! <3 Aunt Bev 🙂
We have been plagued by those stinkers of late ourselves – nothing in June like every other year but now they are on the march big time. Thurman has coated the counters alternately with cinnamon, lemon juice, and commercial ant traps. It’s better but not totally over yet. I hate turning on the overhead light by the sink any more when I get up in the a.m. to make a sandwich for lunch; none have carried the bread away yet, though, so I guess it could be worse. Come on, hard frost!