This time of year in the Queen Village/Bella Vista area, the dreaded insects come round.  Yes, I'm talking about ANTS!  In swarms!  It never fails, every year when it gets warm I not only have them in my own house, but in my clients houses too!  There is no avoiding it! I don't know where they come from!  They leave as quickly as they come, it's a true mystery!  In my house they enter through 2 different parts of my kitchen, sometimes a part in my living room, and last year it was in my bathroom!  I have a thing with bugs.  I hate spiders, I hate roaches, I hate most dark colored (especially large) bugs.  If they are green or pretty colors I don't seem to mind them as much. A grasshopper, a praying mantis, a caterpillar, a ladybug - these are all acceptable.  My main issue is bugs in swarms.  Can't handle it.  I'm getting better with the ant swarm, but that's it. 

About 2 years ago I was at a cats house where the ants retaliated and actually started crawling up my feet!  Unacceptable!!!  I kill you, you leave me alone.  I can't tell you how many times I gave gone to a food bowl and jumped 5 ft. in the air when seeing a swarm of ants devouring the cat food inside.  I can think of at least 10 houses off of the top of my head that this has happened.  Let me also point out that none of these houses are dirty AT ALL.  No clutter, no filth, no insect invites of any kind.  They just show up!  Uninvited!  No RSVP! No Warning! I suppose it's better than the roaches I had to deal with in West Philly.. but these poor cats and dogs are scared to eat due to the vermin!  They walk to the food bowl with trepidation, and who can blame them?

Yesterday ants came out of nowhere and I had to provide a picnic for 2 cats on their dining room table after drowning and garbage-disposal-ing the ants in their food.  They seemed quite content to eat where the rest of the family eats.