Perhaps pestilence is a bit too strong a term, since I’m not literally dealing with plague, but I’m frustrated.

I’m not used to seeing insects strolling about my kitchen, but lately I keep seeing those little tiny brown or black ants that are called “sweet-eating” or “sugar” ants. I’ve had them invade before–you know, the moving black line, marching steadily toward something. . . .

But these aren’t in a column, a cluster, or even a group! If they were in a marching column, I could see where they are coming from, and where they were going. them. I could attack them effectively with traps or spray. If I knew where they were coming from, I’d sprinkle cinnamon or lay cinnamon sticks out.

Well, these aren’t marching purposefully toward anything. They aren’t even marching–they’re meandering. They aren’t obviously coming from anywhere. They act as if they were on a Sunday afternoon stroll–not exactly wandering–each individual seems to know where it is going but with no particular destination all,  just one or two at a time, and in various directions, nothing consistent. The little b-….er, beasties are just there and they have been for weeks. Only a few at a time–just continually there.

If there were hordes, masses of them streaming across the counter, I wouldn’t really be surprised. Since the bees arrived,  I’ve been mixing sugar syrup to feed them.  I’ve had more sugar in my kitchen in the last three weeks than I’ve probably had in the whole rest of my life.  Until the bees arrived (and needed feeding  until the fall nectar flow really gets going), I bought sugar by the one-pound boxes since I couldn’t get anything smaller.  Now I’m bringing it in four-pound bags–several at a time, and mixing simple syrup by the gallon. So–I’d expect “sugar” ants. I could deal with the massive march that had an origin and a destination.

But that is not what seems to be happening here. They are not even walking purposefully–they’re just promenading ants!